Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been appointed the new chief of the World Trade Organisation.
WTO disclosed this in a tweet on Monday.
The confirmation makes her the first woman and first African to lead the WTO.
“Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from Nigeria is appointed as the next WTO Director-General.
“Dr. Okonjo-Iweala makes history as the first woman and the first African to lead the WTO. Her term starts on the 1st of March 2021,” the trade organisation posted on its verified page.
BREAKING: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from Nigeria is appointed as the next WTO Director-General.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala makes history as the first woman and the first African to lead the WTO.
Her term starts on the 1st of March 2021.
More details soon. #WTODG@NOIweala pic.twitter.com/2RJkkfK2Id
— WTO (@wto) February 15, 2021
Okonjo-Iweala, former Nigerian Finance Minister, had secured the popular vote by a wide margin on October 28, 2020 but was not named DG because the US opposed her candidacy.
After the October meeting, the WTO said Okonjo-Iweala had the best chance of getting a consensus.
The US had said it favoured Yoo over Okonjo-Iweala because WTO is in dire need of reform and must be “led by someone with real, hands-on experience in the field”. The Donald Trump- led administration suggested that the race be reopened.
However, the US government led by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris expressed strong support for Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy as WTO DG.
