Kalu Rallies Global Lawmakers to Champion Multilateralism in Digital Trade

By Fatima Ndagi

Deputy Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has called on parliaments worldwide to take decisive action in shaping inclusive rules for digital trade, warning that inaction could leave smaller economies vulnerable.

Speaking Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland, at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Public Forum 2025—during a session of the WTO/Inter-Parliamentary Union Steering Committee held alongside the 55th Parliamentary Conference—Kalu described digital trade as “a defining governance challenge of our time, shaping the daily reality of entrepreneurs and the future opportunities for youth.”

In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, Kalu highlighted Africa’s proactive efforts to build a harmonized digital market through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and its Protocol on Digital Trade, calling it “a blueprint for a unified, integrated digital economy.”

“The digital economy is no longer a distant promise; it is the daily reality of our entrepreneurs and the horizon of opportunity for our youth,” Kalu said. “But blueprints alone do not build houses. Success depends on the laws we pass, the trust we create, and the predictability we guarantee.”

He pointed to Nigeria’s own measures, including the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023 and the forthcoming National Digital Economy Bill, as examples of creating legal certainty to drive investment and secure privacy.

Stressing that “rules without enforcement are illusions,” Kalu urged lawmakers to adopt binding frameworks that protect smaller economies.
He proposed three coordinated steps to include, Legislative Tracking Mechanism to ensure peer accountability among parliaments, Concrete WTO Support for AfCFTA implementation to deepen Africa’s digital trade integration and Model Digital Trade Legislative Toolkit—developed with UNCTAD and the International Trade Centre—to help parliaments craft pro-development laws.

“Speeches do not build futures; actions do,” he declared. “The choice before us is stark: a fragmented digital future shaped by others, or a shared digital prosperity shaped by us. If we act together, we can ensure digital trade becomes a bridge—linking trust, opportunity, and inclusive multilateralism.”