How Nigeria secured $30bn Paris Club debt relief — Okonjo-Iweala

Nigeria's World Trade Organization Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, recounted how a deliberate communication strategy was instrumental in securing a landmark $30 billion Paris Club debt relief during former President Olusegun Obasanjo's administration. Speaking at the presentation of a new book by communications expert Paul Nwabuikwu, Okonjo-Iweala, who served as Finance Minister, explained her role in restoring Nigeria's public finances and negotiating the debt elimination.

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I had been brought in from the World Bank to help straighten up and strengthen Nigeria’s weak finances, including getting rid of the $30 billion of the country’s debt owed to the Paris Club.

She highlighted that the ambitious reform agenda required public understanding and sacrifice. "I had been brought in from the World Bank to help straighten up and strengthen Nigeria’s weak finances, including getting rid of the $30 billion of the country’s debt owed to the Paris Club," she stated. Okonjo-Iweala recognized the need for effective public communication to explain these complex policies in simple terms, which led her to recruit Nwabuikwu to her economic team.

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One important component in my mind then was that we would need a crack communications person or team to help us reach Nigerians, to explain all of this in simple language. That is where Paul came in.

Okonjo-Iweala praised Nwabuikwu's skills, calling him "smart, articulate, compassionate, a terrific writer and communicator." She asserted that the reform program's success was significantly aided by his masterful steering of communications. "Reform is not just about writing new laws and enforcing new policies. It’s about persuading people, explaining trade-offs and building enough trust that governments can keep pushing through obstacles," she added, underscoring the importance of public trust in democratic reforms.

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I can say without fear of contradiction that we wouldn’t have had as much success with the reform programme if we had not had a masterful steering of communications from Paul.

Reflecting on broader national issues, the WTO chief lamented that Nigeria's persistent ethnic, religious, and regional divisions continue to impede national development. She stressed that the country would struggle to achieve sustainable prosperity unless Nigerians forge a common national consensus that transcends sectional interests.

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Reform is not just about writing new laws and enforcing new policies. It’s about persuading people, explaining trade-offs and building enough trust that governments can keep pushing through obstacles.