Okonjo-Iweala: Communication Strategy Helped Nigeria Secure Paris Club Debt Relief

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has recalled how a deliberate public communication strategy helped Nigeria secure Paris Club debt relief during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration. Speaking at the presentation of a new book by communications expert Paul Nwabuikwu, she said her economic team needed Nigerians to understand the difficult reforms required to restore public finances and negotiate relief on roughly $30 billion in bilateral debt. Nigeria reached an $18 billion Paris Club debt-relief agreement in 2005, wiping out about 60 per cent of the debt. The deal was completed in April 2006. Okonjo-Iweala said clear communication helped build public trust for the reform programme. She also urged Nigerians to put competence ahead of ethnic, religious and regional interests, warning that lasting prosperity will remain difficult without a shared national consensus.

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