On February 15, 2021, she was appointed WTO DG, making her the first African and female head of the trade organisation.
Dr NNgozi Okonjo-Iweala
The only contender for the position of director-general at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria.
The former Nigerian finance minister consented to a second term as the organization’s top official, according to the WTO.According to a statement released by the WTO on Saturday, “Nominations for Director-General closed; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala confirmed as sole candidate.”
“On November 9, Ambassador Petter Ølberg of Norway, who chairs the General Council, notified WTO members that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the current Director-General, is the only candidate for the position because no additional nominations had been received by the deadline of November 8.”In a letter to the Chair on September 16, Director-General Okonjo-Iweala affirmed her desire to continue in the position for a second four-year term.
The WTO officially opened the nomination process for its next Director-General on October 8 and gave members until November 8 to submit their names.
The next steps in this process will be communicated by the General Council chair in the next few days, according to the WTO.The organisation stated that the General Council Chair led the process in compliance with the WTO’s “Procedures for the Appointment of Directors-General.”The last day of Okonjo-Iweala’s current term is August 31, 2025.
On February 15, 2021, the former minister became the first African woman to serve as the director-general of the World Trade Organisation.When she was confirmed as the WTO DG in 2021, she stated that reviving the WTO’s Appellate Body and completing long-stalled trade negotiations on fishery subsidies were among her top priorities.Okonjo-Iweala is regarded as a trailblazer in her native country, having served as Nigeria’s finance minister twice (from 2003 to 2006 and from 2011 to 2015) and as the country’s first female foreign minister for a two-month term in 2006.Additionally, the Delta native dismissed allegations that she lacked trade ministerial or negotiating experience.
