WTO Members Endorse Second Term for Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

Members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), in a strong show of support, have backed a proposal from the African Group to encourage Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to pursue a second four-year term. 

This development was announced by fifty-eight members in a statement released on the website of WTO.

The endorsement came during a meeting of the WTO General Council yesterday – July 22, where the African Group called for an early start to the Director-General selection process. 

The proposal urged Okonjo-Iweala to make herself available for reappointment.

“Fifty-eight WTO members took the floor at a 22 July meeting of the WTO General Council to voice support for a proposal from the African Group calling for an early start to the Director-General selection process and asking the incumbent, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to make herself available to serve a second term,” the statement read.

The statement highlighted the broad support from the 58 members, many of whom praised Okonjo-Iweala’s hard work and achievements during her first term. 

They called on her to declare her intentions for a second term promptly.

In response, Okonjo-Iweala expressed her gratitude, acknowledging the collective efforts that led to their accomplishments. 

“Everything that I’ve accomplished, we’ve accomplished together,” she stated. She also indicated her favourable inclination towards a second term, promising to announce her decision soon.

General Council Chairman, Petter Ølberg of Norway recognised the strong and widespread support for Okonjo-Iweala’s potential second term and the immediate commencement of the reappointment process. 

He committed to engaging with delegations in the coming days and weeks to move the process forward.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala became the WTO’s seventh Director-General on March 1, 2021, marking a historic moment as the first woman and the first African to lead the organisation. 

Her current term is set to conclude on August 31, 2025. 

The distinguished global finance expert and economist, Okonjo-Iweala has over 40 years of experience across various continents, and has also served as Nigeria’s Finance Minister twice and briefly as Foreign Minister, becoming the first woman to hold both positions.