The first woman and first African to head the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is on track to secure a second term as Director-General without facing any opposition
By Emma Ogbuehi
The first woman and first African to head the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is on track to secure a second term as Director-General without facing any opposition, the group’s chair announced on Saturday.
The 70-year-old director-general of the WTO, announced in September that she was running for a second term.
Her first mandate was blocked for months by the then US president, Donald Trump who supported a South Korean candidate. The opposition was however overturned when President Joe Biden took office, clearing the path for her historic appointment.
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The WTO chair, Norwegian Ambassador Petter Olberg, told members that “no further nominations for the position” had been received by Friday’s deadline, leaving Okonjo-Iweala as “the only candidate for the role”, according to a statement.
Her current term ends in August 2025.
Director-generals are chosen by consensus from the entire 166-member WTO.
Okonjo-Iweala, who took over in March 2021, has hinged her leadership on breathing new life into the sclerotic organisation.
The former foreign and finance minister of Nigeria sold herself as someone who can bang heads together and get business done.
