President Tinubu Appoints Patience Okala as Nigeria’s AfCFTA National Coordinator

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mrs Patience Okala as the National Coordinator of Nigeria’s African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Coordination Office, the Presidency announced on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

The appointment was announced in a statement issued on March 31, 2026, by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Mrs Okala, a trade and investment expert, brings extensive experience in international negotiations and economic policy to the role. She previously served as a Director at the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), where she led Nigeria’s engagements on bilateral investment treaties and participated in negotiations across platforms such as ICSID, UNCITRAL, AfCFTA, UNCTAD, IISD, and the OECD.

She also worked as an Expert Advisor to the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra between 2023 and 2025. In addition, her tenure as Special Adviser to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment saw her play a significant role in strengthening Nigeria’s AfCFTA institutional framework.

This included overseeing the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee and supporting Nigeria’s emergence as Co-Champion of the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade.

In her new position, Okala is expected to coordinate the domestic implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement, lead engagement with key stakeholders, and advance Nigeria’s strategic interests within the continental trade framework.

Her appointment follows the tenure of the late Mr Olusegun Awolowo, former head of the Nigeria AfCFTA Coordination Office, and reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to boosting intra-African trade, expanding non-oil exports, and promoting economic diversification under the Renewed Hope Agenda.