By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says she feels “strong support” from Africa and expects the continent’s leaders to unite behind one candidate for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) top job, coinciding with reports her pitch is gaining traction.
She is likely to be acceptable to the United States and China, and is also seen as “definitely the favourite” of the other power brokers.
If she becomes WTO director general, she will be the first woman and the first African to climb the summit, and it will further raise her profile as former World Bank managing director, and former Nigeria’s finance minister and foreign minister.
Okonjo-Iweala is seeking to replace Brazil’s Roberto Azevedo who announced last month he would step down on August 31, in a surprise move at a critical juncture for the body.
Africa has struggled in the past to unite behind one candidate and the Geneva-based watchdog has never been led by someone from the continent before, nor by a woman, and there is broad feeling it is Africa’s turn, according to Reuters.
“I cannot presume for any group but I can tell you that I feel strong support from the region,” she told Reuters, saying she was having “very constructive conversations” among the 164 members.
One delegate described her as “definitely the favourite”, especially since European Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan dropped out, and likely to be acceptable to China and the U.S.
On Tuesday, Okonjo-Iweala told a Geneva briefing she wanted to raise Africa’s share of world trade from the current 3 per cent, though gave no target figure.
Asked how the WTO could help the world recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, she stressed the need to ensure any export restrictions were “temporary, transparent and proportionate so we make sure they do not harm other members”.
Problems not insoluble
The in-tray of the new WTO head includes overseeing reforms, clinching a long-overdue multilateral trade deal and dealing with growing protectionism and U.S.-China trade tensions as well as tackling the post-COVID-19 global recession.
“The problems are very deep and challenging but they are not insoluble,” she said, stressing the need for reform including of WTO’s top court which is a priority for Washington.
Critics say she does not have enough direct trade experience but she says being an outsider is an advantage. Backers laud her negotiating skills, including a deal to cancel billions of dollars of Nigerian debt.
Nominations are open until July 8.
Brief biography
Okonjo-Iweala, 66, an economist and international development expert, sits on the boards of Standard Chartered Bank, Twitter, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), and the African Risk Capacity (ARC).
She spent 25 years as a development economist at the World Bank, where she served as managing director (operations) between 2007 and 2011, then twice became Nigeria’s finance minister from 2003 to 2006 and 2011 to 2015.
She graduated from Harvard University with a degree in economics in 1976 and earned her Ph.D in regional economics and development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1981.