President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Patience Okala as the new national coordinator of Nigeria’s African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Coordination Office.
According to a statement from the presidency, the appointment of Okala takes immediate effect. The statement from the office of the presidency explained that the new appointee is a seasoned trade and investment expert, with experience cutting across covering international negotiations and economic policy.
Before her appointment, Okala was a director at the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC). She led the engagement of Nigeria on bilateral investment agreements and negotiations across platforms, which included ICSID, UNCITRAL, AfCFTA, UNCTAD, IISD, and the OECD.
She had earlier served as an expert adviser to the AfCDTA secretariat in Accra (2023-2023) and special adviser to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment. She played an important role in strengthening the AfCFTA institutional framework in Nigeria, including the oversight of the AfCFTA Central Coordination Committee and supporting Nigeria’s emergence as Co-Champion of the AfCFTA Protocol on Digital Trade.
In her new role, she will be overseeing the local implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement, driving Nigeria’s strategic positioning and coordinating national stakeholder engagement within the continental trade investment.
This appointment came amid the resignation of members of Tinubu’s cabinet, including ministers, in pursuit of their political ambitions.
At least two ministers resigned from Tinubu’s cabinet on Tuesday, March 31.
The ministers are Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Sa’idu Ahmed Alkali, the Minister of Transportation. While Tuggar was said to be pursuing a governorship ambition in Bauchi state, Sa’idu Ahmed Alkali was said to be pursuing the number one seat of power in Gombe state.
The resignation followed the president’s directive that all political appointees seeking elective positions in the 2027 general election should resign on or before March 31, as stated in Nigeria’s electoral law.
