Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala gets more support in her bid to become first female WTO chief
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, has received more support in her quest to become the first ever woman and African to lead the World Trade Organization.
Reuters reports that a key group of WTO ambassadors, known as “troika”, has proposed the 66-year-old to replace Roberto Azevêdo as the next WTO Director-General. Azevêdo stepped down as WTO Director-General on 31 August 2020, a year before the expiry of his mandate.
Okonjo-Iweala is in the running against South Korean trade minister Yoo Myung-hee.
The Nigerian has already received endorsements from various countries and bodies, including ECOWAS and the African Union.
Reuters in its report notes that the troika endorsement will be formally communicated to heads of delegations at a meeting later on Wednesday. It would however still need to be approved by consensus at a meeting of the WTO’s 164 members.
The race to become the next WTO Director-General started in May 2020 after Azevêdo announced that he would step down early.
From an initial eight candidates, only Okonjo-Iweala and Myung-hee made it to the final round.
The Nigerian noted that her experience from both the Nigerian cabinet and the World Bank would help her deliver her responsibilities at the WTO.
“I feel I can solve the problems. I’m a known reformer, not someone who talks about it. I’ve actually done it both at the World Bank and in my country,” she told Reuters.
