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Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria has been selected as the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) seventh director-general, her term starting March 1, 2021 and ending August 31, 2025
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Okonjo-Iweala is the first woman and the first African to be chosen as director-general of the trade body
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Okonjo-Iweala’s key priority is to quickly address the economic and health challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria has been selected as the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) seventh director-general, the first woman and the first African to be chosen as director general of the trade body.
Okonjo-Iweala takes office on March 1. Her term, which is renewable, will expire on August 31, 2025.
“I am honoured to have been selected by WTO members as WTO Director-General,” Okonjo-Iweala said in a statement.
“A strong WTO is vital if we are to recover fully and rapidly from the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. I look forward to working with members to shape and implement the policy responses we need to get the global economy going again. Our organization faces a great many challenges but working together we can collectively make the WTO stronger, more agile and better adapted to the realities of today,” Okonjo-Iweala added.
The WTO General Council section decision follows months of uncertainty which arose when the United States initially refused to join the consensus around Okonjo-Iweala and threw its support behind South Korea trade minister Yoo Myung-hee.
But following Yoo’s decision on February 5 to withdraw her candidacy, the administration of newly elected US President Joseph Biden, Jr. dropped the objection and announced instead that Washington extends its “strong support” to the candidacy of Okonjo-Iweala.
Okonjo-Iweala was selected from eight candidates who participated in the selection process. On October 28, 2020, General Council chair David Walker had informed members that based on consultations with all delegations, Okonjo-Iweala was best poised to attain consensus of the 164 WTO members and that she had the deepest and the broadest support among the membership. At that meeting, the United States was the only WTO member which said it could not join the consensus.
The process for selecting a new director-general was triggered on May 14 when former director-general Roberto Azevêdo informed WTO members he would be stepping down from his post one year before the expiry of his mandate. He subsequently left office on August 31, 2020.
Okonjo-Iweala is a global finance expert, an economist and international development professional with over 30 years of experience working in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America.
As director-general, Okonjo-Iweala will be heading the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. WTO currently has 64 members representing 98% of world trade.
