The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has expressed concern over Nigeria’s economic trajectory, highlighting that the country’s average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate has been in decline since 2014. This trend, she noted, reflects a downturn in the economic well-being of the Nigerian populace.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala raised these concerns during her address at the Nigerian Bar Association’s (NBA) annual General Conference on Sunday. She emphasized that between 2000 and 2014, Nigeria experienced an average GDP growth rate of approximately 3.8%, which outpaced the country’s population growth rate of 2.6% per annum.
However, the situation has deteriorated since 2014, with the average GDP growth rate slipping to a negative 0.9%. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala attributed this reversal to the government’s inability to maintain the positive growth momentum achieved by previous administrations.
“Many of the big problems the NBA is grappling with today has its root in Nigeria’s failure to sustain rate of economic growth and development that consistently outpaced the growth of our population.
“We have had episodes of reforms and faster economic growth that was not merely a function of the price of oil. But we have been unable to consolidate and build on them and millions of our compatriots have paid the price in terms of diminished job prospects and human well-being.
“For example, in the decade between 2000 and 2014, we have an average GDP growth rate of 3.8% well above our population growth rate of 2.6% per annum, meaning that people were on average truly improving their standard of living.
“During the following decade, average annual GDP per capita has been negative around minus 0.9% meaning people were worse off because we were not able to sustain prior positive growth momentum,” Okonjo-Iweala added.
Speaking further, Okonjo-Iweala said the country needs to sustain good economic policies irrespective of the administration or political party in power in order to foster development in the country.
The former Finance Minister said policy inconsistencies have accounted for the reversal in the fortune of the nation’s economic development.
Furthermore, she advocated for a social contract between the government and the people which will go beyond the political party in power.
According to her, this social contract must be generally accepted on what economic policies should be followed regardless of who is in power.
“Maintaining good economic and social policies; maintaining policy consistency and adding more reforms on top of that will lead us along the path of good progress that we all desire,” she added.
Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth declined to 2.98%, lower than the rate recorded in the fourth quarter of 2023 which was 3.46%, according to a report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
However, the GDP growth rate in the quarter is higher than the figure recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2023 which was 2.31%.
GDP measures the economic activities of a country.
In the past decades, Nigeria’s economic growth has been moderate as a result of low exports, a reduction in the sales of oil which accounts for about 90% of our revenue as well as other economic challenges in the country.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has continuously said he would increase Nigeria’s GDP to a $1 trillion economy, but many analysts believe such a goal may not the feasible amid growing concerns of high inflation, low employment rate as well and rising national debt.
