Patience Okala Appointed National Coordinator of Nigeria’s AfCFTA Coordination Office
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Summary: Trade and investment expert Ms Patience Okala has been appointed National Coordinator of Nigeria’s African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Coordination Office by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with immediate effect, on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.
Trade and investment expert Ms Patience Okala has been appointed National Coordinator of Nigeria’s African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Coordination Office. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the appointment on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, with immediate effect.
Ms Patience is a seasoned trade and investment expert with extensive experience in international negotiations and economic policy. Before this 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 platforms including ICSID, UNCITRAL, AfCFTA, UNCTAD, IISD, and the OECD.
She previously served as Expert Advisor to the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra from 2023 to 2025 and, as Special Adviser to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, played a key role in strengthening Nigeria’s AfCFTA institutional framework, including 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, the new National Coordinator will oversee the domestic implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement, coordinate national stakeholder engagement, and drive Nigeria’s strategic positioning within the continental trade framework.
