What looks rather impossible for Former Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is becoming crystal clear as her dream to clinch the post as the director the World Trade Organization, will finally see the light today. Sources said; she might be announced the next head honcho and the first female and African leader of the organization.
She would have been announced as the boss of WTO late 2020 but her dream faced a little setback when the then American president, Donald Trump threw his weight behind South Korean Trade Minister, Yoo Myung-hee. Okonjo had a clear chance when Yoo pulled out of the race to lead the organisation last week and the Joe Biden administration endorsed the brilliant and highly cerebral 66-year-old former Nigerian finance minister.
“Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is bringing her wealth of knowledge in economics and international diplomacy from her 25 years career with the World Bank and two terms as Nigerian Finance Minister. She is widely respected for her effective leadership and has proven experience managing a large international organization with a diverse membership.” US Trade Representative said in a statement on Friday.
In her reaction to the US endorsement, – the only obstacle in her path – Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said she was “grateful”. She thanked Yoo Myung-hee for running a “hard fought campaign,” and also thanked the Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari and her countrymen for their “unflinching support”.
The WTO has called a special general council meeting at which the former Nigerian finance minister and World Bank veteran is expected to be formally selected as the global trade body’s new director-general.
“I look forward to finalising the process,” Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said on the 6th of February after securing the Biden administration’s support.
The organisation is also eager to conclude the drawn-out process, having been leaderless since Brazilian career diplomat Roberto Azevedo stepped down last August, a year ahead of schedule.
The process of picking one of eight candidates to succeed him had been expected to wrap up by November, but the administration of former US president Donald Trump blocked the consensus to appoint Okonjo-Iweala.
Okonjo-Iweala has said her priorities include getting long-blocked trade talks on fishery subsidies across the finish line and breathing life back into WTO’s Appellate Body.
Twice Nigeria’s finance minister (2003-2006 and 2011-2015) and its first female foreign minister in a two-month stint in 2006, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is seen as a trailblazer in her west African homeland.
She has brushed off claims she lacks experience as a trade minister or negotiator, insisting that what is needed to lead the WTO is not technical skills but “boldness, courage”.
Culled From: The Guardian
