WTO chooses Nigeria University

Among others, the WTO chooses the University of Nigeria for its trade research program.

Supported by France, Austria, the Republic of Korea, and Australia, the WTO Chairs Program has expanded in an effort to tackle present and future issues related to international commerce.

World Trade Organization Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has included five additional academic institutions from previously underrepresented regions to its WTO Chairs Program.

Nigeria’s University of Nigeria in Nsukka is one of the new beneficiary institutions. Université de Lomé in Togo; Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar; Universidad Iberoamericana in the Dominican Republic; and the National University of Vanuatu in Vanuatu are the other institutions.

The goal of adding the five institutions is to increase diversity and inclusivity in the program in order to promote more research on trade issues in developing and least-developed WTO members and observers, the WTO said in a statement sent to Financial Nigeria today.

With the inclusion of these five universities, there are now 40 Chairs in the program’s network.

To facilitate their incorporation into the network, they will receive mentoring from other Chairs and contribute to the program’s outreach, curriculum development, and research.

In order to increase the scholarly and practical influence of their work on trade policies at the national and international levels, they will also participate in joint events, conferences, and seminars.

Just to increase the program’s worldwide reach and influence, the WTO indicated that the fourth cycle of the Chairs Program also signals a shift to more frequent institution admissions into the network. Hoping that there would be more synergies with the WTO’s other technical assistance initiatives.

According to the statement, “this expansion builds on the WTO’s longstanding efforts to ensure that academic institutions play a crucial role in shaping trade policy and deepening the understanding of the multilateral trading system.”

The WTO Chairs Programme, which is supported by France, Austria, the Republic of Korea, and Australia, has expanded in order to tackle present and future issues related to international commerce.

“The WTO Chairs Programme Academic Advisory Board leads a rigorous review process of applications to select universities,” the announcement says.