World Trade Organization Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has called for greater investment in digital and physical infrastructure across Africa, saying improved connectivity is critical to unlocking trade opportunities and job creation for the continent’s youth.

Speaking at a symposium marking the 20th anniversary of Nigerian law firm Streamsowers and Köhn in Lagos, Okonjo-Iweala said Africa’s young population is highly active online but inadequate infrastructure remains a barrier to expanding the benefits of digital trade, pointing to Nigeria’s creative industry, now about 2 percent of GDP and a major source of youth employment, as evidence of what digital commerce can achieve when it works. She said digital trade allows Nigerians to deliver services and creative work globally without relocating, and that stronger investment in connectivity could unlock employment for millions of young, internet savvy Nigerians.

The event also featured reflections from the firm’s founding partners, Kemela Okara, Etigwe Uwa and Chiagozie Hilary-Nwokonko, who credited shared values, mutual trust and deliberate succession planning for the firm’s two decades of success, describing their goal of building an institution that could outlive its founders through sustained mentorship.