By Mohammed Mohammed
Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance and Africa’s candidate for the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, has finally been appointed by the General Council of the body as the Director General of global trade body.
The appointment brought to an end the global political intrigues and high level underhand speculations that characterised the race to occupy that position.
In a statement culled from WTO website on Monday, said the General Council agreed by consensus to select Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria as the organization’s seventh Director-General.
The statement, averred: “When she takes office on 1 March, Dr Okonjo-Iweala will become the first woman and the first African to be chosen as Director-General. Her term, renewable, will expire on 31 August 2025.
“On behalf of the General Council of WTO I extend our warmest congratulations to Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on her appointment as the WTO’s next Director-General and formally welcome her to this General Council meeting,” said General Council Chair David Walker of New Zealand who, together with co-facilitators Amb. Dacio Castillo (Honduras) and Amb. Harald Aspelund (Iceland) led the nine-month DG selection process.
“Dr. Okonjo Iweala, on behalf of all members I wish to sincerely thank you for your graciousness in these exceptional months, and for your patience. We look forward to collaborating closely with you, Dr Ngozi, and I am certain that all members will work with you constructively during your tenure as Director-General to shape the future of this organization,” he added.
Elated by her appointment and in a brief remark, Okonjo-Iweala said a key priority for her as the DG would be to work with members to quickly address the economic and health consequences brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said: “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.”
There had been a drawback when the General Council decision follows months of uncertainty which arose when the US initially refused to join the consensus around the Nigerian and threw its support behind Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee of the Republic of Korea.
However, following Yoo’s decision earlier in 2021to withdraw her candidacy, the administration of newly elected US President Joseph Biden dropped the US objection and announced Washington support for to the candidacy of Dr Okonjo-Iweala.
The General Council therefore agreed on 31 July that there would be three stages of consultations held over a two-month period commencing 7 September.
Recall that on 28 October, General Council Chair David Walker of New Zealand had informed members that based on consultations with all delegations Dr Okonjo-Iweala was best poised to attain consensus of the 164 WTO members and that she had the deepest and the broadest support among the membership. At that meeting, the United States was the only WTO member which said it could not join the consensus.
The consultation process undertaken by the chair and facilitators was established through guidelines agreed by all WTO members in a 2002 General Council decision, which put the machinery in place that eventually led to Dr. Okonjo Iweala’s appointment today January, 15.