The World Trade Organization has announced Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as its next Director-General, making her the seventh person to occupy the position.
With the announcement, She becomes the first female and first African to occupy the position, as her tenure begins on the 1st of March 2021.
The WTO confirmed the news of her appointment on its Twitter handle today, February 15, 2021.
“I am honoured to have been selected by WTO members as WTO Director-General,” said Dr Okonjo-Iweala. “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,” Okonjo Iweala reacted to the news of her appointment on her Twitter handle.
