FIFA President, Okonjo-Iweala Reaffirm Commitment To Football Development

FIFA President, Gianni Infantino and Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in New York reviewed the progress of their collaboration in leveraging football’s power and influence to boost the economies of the least developed countries.

The review was focused on the ‘Cotton Four plus’nations (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Cote d’Ivoire). Both organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) last September to create opportunities within the football apparel value chain for the Cotton Four countries.

The World Trade Organisation shared updates about the meeting and the progress made on her social media pages, highlighting opportunities for further economic development in developing countries.

Good progress on our joint work with @FIFAcom supporting Cotton4 countries in Africa to tap into the football apparel value chain. In New York with FIFA President Gianni Infantino & team assessing progress and discussing next steps. pic.twitter.com/XcvVq3HUkO

— Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (@NOIweala) September 19, 2023

Nearly a year after signing the MoU, they convened to discuss the progress, ways to enhance it and opportunities for women’s economic empowerment.

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During the meeting, Okonjo-Iweala and Infantino also explored the potential integration of FIFA’s Football for Schools programme.

It is a FIFA initiative in partnership with UNESCO aimed at contributing to the education, development and empowerment of approximately 700 million children worldwide.