In a significant show of support, 58 member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have endorsed a proposal for Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to serve a second four-year term as director-general.
Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian economist and two-time finance minister, has led the 164-member WTO since 2021. Her first term ends in August 2025.
The endorsement came during a meeting of the WTO’s general council on Monday, with members praising Okonjo-Iweala’s leadership and accomplishments in promoting global trade and resolving disputes during her first term.
The African Group, which proposed the extension, cited Okonjo-Iweala’s “hard work and achievements” as reasons for their support. They are asking the WTO Chief to “make her intentions known regarding a second term as soon as possible.”
In response to the endorsement, Okonjo-Iweala expressed gratitude and indicated she was “favourably inclined” to serve a second term. “Everything that I’ve accomplished, we’ve accomplished together,” she said.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
