Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), has called on African nations to reduce their reliance on foreign aid and take more assertive steps to attract investment.

Speaking at the 2025 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank in Washington, DC, Okonjo-Iweala highlighted the growing uncertainty in global donor support, emphasizing the need for Africa to prepare for a future centered around self-reliance.

“Aid is disappearing. There may be a little left, but it is disappearing,” she said, underlining that the continent’s future lies in fostering domestic reform, infrastructure development, and diversifying trade.

Okonjo-Iweala stressed that Africa must take significant actions to mobilize domestic resources, reduce bureaucratic obstacles, and build investor confidence.

“We need investment. And when you need investment, you have to do so much more in terms of mobilizing domestic resources to put infrastructure in place, removing bureaucratic barriers so investment can come in,” she explained.

The trade expert also pointed to Africa’s shrinking role in global commerce.

While some African nations are only marginally affected by recent shifts in U.S. trade policies, the broader issue remains the continent’s limited trade volume.

Africa accounts for just 3% of global exports, and intra-African trade lingers at a low 16 to 20%.

“We need to trade more. We cannot trade more externally, where our trade is only 3% of world trade, or internally, where intra-Africa trade is 16 to 20% at most,” Okonjo-Iweala said.

She added that the lack of value-added products in African exports, such as raw commodities, has led to fewer job opportunities.

To address this, she advocated for attracting investment and increasing internal trade within Africa.

Using Lesotho as an example, Okonjo-Iweala pointed out that while the country exports $200 million worth of textiles to the U.S., it also imports $7 billion worth of textiles.

She urged the country to consider selling its textiles within Africa instead of relying on exports to the U.S.

“Lesotho is exporting $200 billion worth of textiles to the US, and we are all lamenting that this market will be taken away. Guess what? Africa spends $7 billion importing textiles. So why can’t Lesotho sell its textiles in the African market?” she asked, suggesting that African