Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s former minister of finance and the new newly appointed Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has resumed office.
Okonjo-Iweala was confirmed for the job on February 15, 2021, ahead of South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee.
All WTO member countries except the United States under former President, Donald Trump, had voted her as their preferred candidate in 2020.
The move by the US at the time had delayed her appointment.
The US had said it favoured Myung-hee for the job, saying that the WTO needs someone with real, hands-on experience in the field.
However, the Joe Biden-led US government threw its support behind Okonjo-Iweala, leading to her emergence as the first female and African to head the Geneva-based organisation.
Discussion about this post