Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, newly appointed Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, has expressed her full commitment to the foreign policy direction set by President Bola Tinubu.
She was sworn in alongside six other new ministers at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday.
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After the ceremony, Ojukwu, who is also known for winning the “Most Beautiful Girl” pageant in Nigeria, emphasized the importance of leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to unlock Nigeria’s economic potential.
Responding to questions about her previous experience in foreign missions, Ojukwu stated her intention to strengthen democratic institutions across Africa, aligning with the administration’s foreign policy objectives, which she described as the “4Ds”: democracy, development, demographic engagement, and diaspora collaboration.
Ojukwu who noted that 70 percent of the population is under 43 pledged to tap into the creative skills and capital of young Nigerians and engage the diaspora, which contributes approximately $22 billion annually through remittances.
She believes that partnering the diaspora can enhance Nigeria’s strategic partnerships with global financial institutions and improve service delivery in foreign affairs.
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Ambassador Ojukwu also stressed the need for more effective consular services to better serve Nigerians abroad, ensuring they feel valued and cared for by their government.
Jumoke Oduwole, the new Minister of Trade and Investment, echoed Ojukwu’s sentiments, emphasizing Nigeria’s vast economic potential.
Oduwole noted her work on business climate reforms over the past nine years and stressed the importance of optimizing the AfCFTA for both domestic and foreign investments.
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She underscored the necessity of creating productive jobs that add value to Nigerians and highlighted the need to align trade strategies with monetary and fiscal policies, calling it “significant and imperative” for the administration’s immediate priorities.
