The next Director-General of WTO may be from Nigeria

In the world today, trade has become very important for countries to boost their economies, and the world trade organization (WTO), the leading global international organization concerned with regulating international trade between nations has done a great job at that.

30th of October 2020

In the world today, trade has become very important for countries to boost their economies, and the world trade organization (WTO), the leading global international organization concerned with regulating international trade between nations has done a great job at that.

As history will have it, the position of the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation will be led by a woman with two finalists from Africa and Asia. This comes as a result of the absence of a leader when the former DG, Roberto Azevedo stepped down on the 31st of August, 2020.

On the 29th of October 2020, WTO announced the two finalists, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from Nigeria and  Yoo Myung-hee from South Korea for the position of the Director-General. With this announcement, it has given Okonjo Iweala a clear path to becoming the first-ever woman to head the WTO since its inception.

She has formerly served as Nigeria’s first female finance and foreign minister, with a 25-year career at the World Bank as a developmental economist. In her words when the announcement was made on Thursday, she tweeted “Happy to be in the final round of the @wto DG campaign, “Thanks, WTO members for your continued support of my candidacy. I could not have made it without the prayers and support of all Nigerians and friends around the world.”

The final decision of who will eventually be the next Director-General of WTO will be announced on the 9th of November, 2020.