Okonjo-Iweala to be Named WTO Director-General on Feb. 15

With the United States now backing Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her South Korean rival out of the race, the coast is now clear for Nigeria’s former finance minister to be named the director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The WTO general council, the organization’s decision-making body, announced on Tuesday, Feb. 9, that it would meet virtually on February 15 to consider formalising the appointment.

In a statement published on its website, the WTO said the virtual meeting will start at “15:00 Geneva time to consider the appointment of the next Director-General.”

What you should know

In a twin development last Friday, Yoo Myung-hee, South Korea’s candidate and the only standing candidate that could stop Okonjo-Iweala from landing the top job, withdrew from the consensus-based process, and the US President Joe Biden administration reversed the country’s previous decision to back Yoo.

“In order to promote the functions of WTO and in consideration of various factors, I have decided to withdraw my candidacy,” Yoo, who is South Korea’s trade minister, said in a statement. She also noted that she reached that decision after consulting with allies including the United States.

In October 2020, Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, had rejected Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy after a WTO selection panel recommended her for the position. Trump declared support for the South Korean instead, describing her as “someone with real, hands-on experience in the field”.

Although Okonjo-Iweala had secured the popular vote by a wide margin on October 28 but she was not announced as DG because the US opposed her candidacy.

However, shortly after the Biden administration took office, the US Trade Representative’s office announced the reversal of Trump’s decision, describing Okonjo-Iweala as being “widely respected for her effective leadership and …proven experience managing a large international organization with a diverse membership.”

If confirmed director-general, Okonjo-Iweala will be the first female and the first African to hold the position.