The former Minister of Finance in Nigeria, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has been confirmed as the next Director-General of the World Trade Organization.
She is to become the seventh director-general of the organization.
This was confirmed via the Twitter handle of the organization.
She makes history as the first woman and the first African to lead the WTO. Her term starts on March 1, 2021 and will expire on August 31, 2025.
In reaction to the news of her being the next director-general, Okonjo-Iweala said:
“I am honoured to have been selected by WTO members as WTO Director-General.
“A strong WTO is vital if we are to recover fully and rapidly from the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. I look forward to working with members to shape and implement the policy responses we need to get the global economy going again.”
“Our organization faces a great many challenges but working together we can collectively make the WTO stronger, more agile and better adapted to the realities of today.”
