After facing so many hurdles, Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been named the director-general of World Trade Organisation. She becomes the first African and first woman to lead the organisation.
She could have been installed as the boss of WTO late 2020 but the then American president Donald Trump vouched for South Korea Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee instead.
Months after the key ambassadors of the trade organisation recommended her for the job was finally appointed the DG of the organisation on Monday.
Last week the Joe Biden administration endorsed the 66-year-old former Nigerian finance minister and World Bank chief, dismantling the only obstacle in her way. WTO has been without a leader 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.