58 Countries Endorse Okonjo-Iweala for Second Term as WTO DG

Fifty-eight of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) 164 members have endorsed an African Group motion to support current director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for a second term.

According to a statement from the international trade organization, this endorsement was declared during a meeting of the WTO General Council on July 22.

“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.

The 58 member countries, including several representing groups of members, voiced their support for the African Group’s proposal.

They urged Okonjo-Iweala to declare her intentions for a second term promptly. Many members lauded her hard work and accomplishments during her first term.

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Expressing her gratitude, Okonjo-Iweala, 70, said, “Everything that I’ve accomplished, we’ve accomplished together.”

She acknowledged the members’ call and indicated that she would seriously consider it, promising to inform them of her decision soon.

Okonjo-Iweala, the seventh director-general of the WTO, assumed office on March 1, 2021, for a four-year term set to expire on August 31, 2025. She is eligible for reelection.

The former Nigerian finance minister overcame several opposition to become the first woman and the first African to lead the WTO.

Prior to 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, being the first woman to hold both positions.