Fifty-eight member states of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have endorsed the African Group’s proposal to extend the tenure of incumbent Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for a second term.
This development was revealed during a WTO General Council meeting on July 22, according to an official statement from the organization.
“The African Group requests that the current Director-General make herself available to serve a second term and has proposed that the process of reappointing the Director-General should be started as soon as possible,” the statement read.
Abdulhamid Adamu, Nigeria’s permanent representative to WTO at the council, said, “All members pointed to all the efforts and qualities of Okonjo-Iweala and her contributions to the organisation, which enhanced a lot of progress and development. They all affirmed that she deserves to be reappointed as the director-general. All the members in the meeting from all regions that took the floor, almost 58 members, supported the proposal.”
He added that members resolved that the general council chair should start consultations on the appointment process as soon as the council approves it.
Ms Okonjo-Iweala thanked all members and assured them that she would respond with her acceptance after consultation with family members as soon as possible.
At the meeting, 58 members, many speaking on behalf of various groups, voiced their support for the proposal. They urged Director-General Okonjo-Iweala to announce her intentions regarding a second term soon, with the majority praising her hard work and accomplishments during her first term.
Okonjo-Iweala, who is 70, expressed gratitude for the support from the members. “Everything that I’ve accomplished, we’ve accomplished together,” she said.
She acknowledged the members’ call seriously and indicated a favorable inclination, promising to communicate her intentions shortly.
Having assumed office on March 1, 2021, Okonjo-Iweala’s first term is set to expire on August 31, 2025. She is eligible for a second term.
Okonjo-Iweala made history as the first woman and the first African to hold the position of WTO Director-General. Before her current role, she served as Nigeria’s Finance Minister twice, from 2003 to 2006 and from 2011 to 2015, and briefly as Foreign Minister in 2006. Additionally, she was a development economist at the World Bank for 25 years, where she rose to the position of Managing Director of Operations.
