Erstwhile Finance Minister of Nigeria: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala shall receive the Insignia of Royalty as the first Woman and first African Director General of the World Trade Organization on February 15th, 2021

By Abdul Rahman Bangura–

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Freetown, Sierra Leone- The World Trade Organization (WTO) has summoned an important general council seminar, at which the retired Nigerian Finance Minister and World Bank vet is believed to be officially assigned as the global trade body’s new Director-General.

The US President – Joe Biden stoutly swiveled behind Ngozi’s candidacy shortly after the only other candidate, South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee, pulled out.

“I look forward to finalizing the process,” Okonjo-Iweala noted on February 6th, 2021 after securing the Biden administration’s support.

The WTO is further enthusiastic to finalize the drawn-out process, having been leaderless since Brazilian career diplomat Roberto Azevedo trudged down in 2020 August, a year ahead of schedule. The system of taking the yield of one of eight candidates to succeed him, had been anticipated to synopsize by November, but the administration of former US President -John Donald Trump thwarted the agreement to ordain Okonjo-Iweala.

Okonjo-Iweala, (66) will not be at the WTO’s Geneva headquarters for Monday’s virtual session and it is not understood when she would take up her commitments. The 164- member organization’s special session receives under way at 1400 GMT and OkonjoIweala is recorded to carry an online press conference two hours later.

For New Africa Daily News Abdul Rahman Bangura Reports,  Africa Correspondent

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