Doctor Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been confirmed as the new Director-General of the World Trade Organisation.
She is the first woman and the first African to lead the World Trade Organisation.
Her term is scheduled to commence on March the first, 2021.
General Council Chair David Walker of New Zealand, together with co-facilitators Ambassador Dacio Castillo of Honduras and Ambassador Harald Aspelund of Iceland, who led the nine-month Director-General selection process, described the appointment of Doctor Okonjo-Iweala as a significant moment for the World Trade Organisation.
In her acceptance speech, Doctor Okonjo-Iweala commenced Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, ECOWAS leaders, and the US President for their support.
She said WTO books are outdated and will be updated.
The new Director-General of the World Trade Organisation said a key priority for her would be to work with members to quickly address the economic and health consequences brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The term, which is renewable, will expire on the Thirty-first of August, 2025.
