IPU Appoints Kalu As WTO Steering C’ttee Member

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has been invited to join the steering committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organisation (PCWTO), a development that will enable Nigeria benefit from African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) global trade policies and boost trade across Africa.

The invitation was extended by Martin Chungong, Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), in a letter dated February 12, 2025 and addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen.

Kalu who is also the chairman of the Finance and Administrative Committee of the Economic and West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament has been participating in the ongoing high profile meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) holding in New York, United States.

At the conference, he had been vocal on several issues such as Africa’s inclusion at the Security Council of the United Nations, review of UN funding structure, effective aid coordination to achieve SDGs amongst others.

The deputy speaker’s participation in the PCWTO Steering Committee will mark the first time Nigeria is represented in this committee.

The invitation is largely seen as a testament to Nigeria’s growing influence in global trade and its commitment to promoting economic development through trade.