FG appoints Osakwe DG of trade negotiations office

The Federal Government has approved the appointment of Ambassador Chiedu Osakwe as Director General with concurrent designation as Chief Negotiator, Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN).

A statement released yesterday by the Strategy and Communications Adviser to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Constance Ikokwu, indicated the appointment, which took effect from June 6, 2017, is for a period of four years.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the established of NOTN in May, 2017, as the standing Negotiating body for Nigeria. The NOTN is legally domiciled in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.

“All reports and recommendations from the NOTN on trade policy shall be reviewed by the Economic Management Team based on the memoranda submitted by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, for decision making by FEC as appropriate,” the statement

Before now, Osakwe was a Trade Adviser at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and provided technical advice on trade policy and structural reforms to the Federal Government

He is also an Adjunct Professor on a leave of absence from the International University in Geneva (IUG) on International Trade Policy, Diplomacy and Negotiations.

Osakwe was educated at the University of Ibadan, Oxford in United Kingdom and New York University, from where he obtained his PhD.