Former Nigeria minister and Director-General, World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said Nigeria’s development is not just constrained by lack of fund but also a fragile maintenance culture of public infrastructure and asked governments to improve execution with funding.
There are development challenges in Nigeria but beyond funding, we need maintenance culture,” she said at the Delta State Economic and Investment Summit 2026.
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Budget allocation alone does not translate to development if public infrastructure is not kept in shape.
She advocated that to be a successful in Governance, you need “disciplined execution and clear prioritization”.
In her address, she added; “ we don’t have a maintenance culture in this country . We need maintenance, better ports, better digital infrastructure, trade cost reduction”.
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According to her, any efforts made in improving the country’s macro economic conditions like managing foreign exchange rate and controlling inflation would pave a room for the best possible economic expansion in states if funds allocated to infrastructural development go with maintenance.
The former minister spoke amidst several national consultations on infrastructure upgrade and economic expansion policies as government moves focus from allocating money to efficient implementation of public projects
