Chiedu Osakwe

Chiedu Osakwe (1955 – 22 September 2019) was a Nigerian diplomat and trade negotiator. He was the first director-general of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN) and Nigeria's chief trade negotiator from 2017 until his death. Before taking the position, Osakwe worked in the Nigerian Foreign Service and at the World Trade Organization (WTO), where he headed several divisions.

From June 2017 to March 2018, Osakwe chaired the African Union's negotiating forum for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). During his chairmanship, the first phase of negotiations was concluded, preceding the signing of the agreement in March 2018.

Early life and education Osakwe was born in 1955. He attended Dennis Memorial Grammar School in Onitsha and completed his advanced-level studies at Federal Government College, Odogbolu. He subsequently studied political science at the University of Ibadan.

Career

Nigerian Foreign Service After completing the National Youth Service Corps, Osakwe joined Nigeria's Ministry of External Affairs as a third secretary on 23 July 1979. He remained in the foreign service until May 1998.

He served at Nigeria's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York during the 1980s. From 1984 to 1986, he chaired a United Nations subcommittee concerned with the legal aspects of the international campaign against apartheid.

World Trade Organization Osakwe joined the WTO Secretariat in 1998. From 1999 to 2001, he was the organisation's special coordinator for least-developed countries and led the Secretariat Working Group on the Integrated Framework for Least-Developed Countries. In that capacity, he chaired the Inter-Agency Working Group for the Integrated Framework. He subsequently co-edited Trade Multilateralism in the Twenty-First Century: Building the Upper Floors of the Trading System Through WTO Accessions with Alexei Kireyev.

Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations Osakwe was appointed the pioneer director-general of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations on 6 June 2017. He also became Nigeria's chief trade negotiator and served as trade adviser to the Nigerian Economic Management Team.

The office was established to coordinate Nigeria's positions and representation in bilateral, regional and multilateral trade negotiations. Osakwe was also a member of the Nigerian Industrial Policy and Competitiveness Advisory Council, its Trade and Market Access Subcommittee and its Advisory Group on Technology and Creativity.

African Continental Free Trade Area Osakwe chaired the AfCFTA Negotiating Forum and meetings of senior trade officials from June 2017 to March 2018. During his chairmanship, the negotiating institutions completed the first phase of negotiations, covering trade in goods and services. This made it possible for African heads of state and government to sign the agreement in March 2018.

In 2021, the WTO inaugurated a memorial lecture series in his name. The first Chiedu Osakwe Memorial Lecture was delivered by AfCFTA secretary-general Wamkele Mene and addressed the relationship between African economic integration and the multilateral trading system.

Selected works