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, with immediate effect.
Mrs Okala, a seasoned trade and investment expert, brings extensive experience in international economic policy and negotiations. Prior to her appointment, she served as Director at the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), where she led Nigeria’s engagements on bilateral investment treaties and negotiations across major global platforms, including ICSID, UNCITRAL, AfCFTA, UNCTAD, IISD, and the OECD.
Between 2023 and 2025, she served as Expert Advisor to the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra, where she contributed to advancing continental trade integration efforts. She also previously held the role of Special Adviser to the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, playing a pivotal role in strengthening Nigeria’s AfCFTA institutional framework. Her contributions included 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, Mrs Okala will oversee the domestic implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement, coordinate stakeholder engagement across sectors, and drive Nigeria’s strategic positioning within the continental trade framework.
Her appointment builds on the legacy of the late Olusegun Awolowo and underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to deepening intra-African trade, boosting non-oil exports, and advancing economic diversification under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Tinubu Appoints Patience Okala as National Coordinator of Nigeria’s AfCFTA Office
