Nigeria, May 15 -- When the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN) was established in 2017, it was hailed as a watershed moment for Africa's largest economy. Nigeria had a dedicated institutional mechanism to coordinate, negotiate, and manage its international trade negotiations for the first time - an essential step in modernising a fragmented approach to global commerce.

Yet, eight years later, as the country grapples with sluggish economic growth, soaring youth unemployment, and faltering industrial competitiveness, it's time to ask: has NOTN fulfilled its promise, and what will it take to reposition it as a catalyst for national prosperity?

The answer is complex - and urgent.

The creation of NOTN wasn't just a bureaucratic t...