PRESS RELEASE 
EMBARGO  
NOT FOR PUBLICATION, OR DISTRIBUTION BY NEWS AGENCIES UNTIL 
1400 GENEVA TIME ( 1200  GMT) 11 MAY 2005  
 
PRESS/TPRB/247 
11 May 2005 
 
(05-1914) 
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: NIGERIA 
Trade liberalization should improve Nigeria’s macroeconomic 
performance 
Nigeria has generally made progress in implementing macroeconomic and structural reforms, but 
its trade regime has become more protectionist since its last review in 1998, according to a WTO Secretariat report on the trade policies and practices of Nigeria. 
 
The report notes that Nigeria’s increasing barriers to trade limit the benefits from its participation in the multilateral trading system. Liberalization reforms, through the simplification of its import 
duties (including its tariff structure), an increase in the scope of its binding commitments and the 
removal of import prohibitions, should enhance th e predictability of Nigeria’s trade regime, and 
contribute to a better allocation of resources and to the diversification of the economy away from 
petroleum products. 
 The WTO report, along with a policy statement by Nigeria, will be the basis for the third Trade 
Policy Review (TPR) of Nigeria by the Trade Polic y Review Body of the WTO on 11 and 13 of May 
2005.  
The following documents are available in MS Wo rd format on the WTO web-site. They can be 
downloaded at http://www.wto.org/english/ tratop_e/tpr_e/tp247.htm  
 
• Secretariat report 
> Contents and summary observations  > Economic environment  
> Trade and investment regimes  
> Trade policies and practices by measure  > Trade policies by sector  
> Appendix tables  
• Government report  
• Chairperson’s concluding remarks  
• Minutes of the meeting (available appr oximately six weeks after the meeting). 
 PRESS/TPRB/247 
Page 2 of 2 
 
 
 Note 
Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO agreements, in which member countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant 
developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each 
review, two documents are prepared: a policy stat ement by the government of the member under 
review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents are then discussed by the WTO’s full membership in  the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These 
documents and the proceedings of the TPRB’s meetings are published shortly afterwards.  
 Print copies of the TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William 
Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop at 
https://secure.vtx.ch/shop/boutiques/wto_index_boutique.html  or follow this path :  
www.wto.org >resources > publications > trade policy reviews  
 
The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan Press , 4611-F Assembly Drive, Lanham, MD 20706-4391, United States 
Next reviews: 
Ecuador : 8 and 10 June 2005 
The Philippines : 5 and 7 July 2005 
Egypt : 26 and 28 July 2005 
 For a full list of previous trade policy reviews and the full programme of future reviews go to 
http://www.wto.org/english/trat op_e/tpr_e/tpr_ e.htm#reviews 
or follow this path : www.wto.org > trade topics > trade policy reviews  
 
 
END