By the Editor
Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, current Director-General of the World Trade Organization, WTO, is enjoying the backing of 58 countries across Africa in her bid to run for a second of four years at the helm of the global organization.
The African group in the WTO disclosed this in a statement which it submitted at the general council meeting of the organization held in Geneva, Switzerland, recently.
The statement reads, “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 continues, “The current term of DG Okonjo-Iweala finishes at the end of August 2025. She is eligible for a second four-year term”; adding that “Fifty-eight members, several speaking on behalf of groups of members, took the floor to comment and express their support for the African Group proposal”.
It then concludes, “They called on DG Okonjo-Iweala to make her intentions known regarding a second term as soon as possible. Most of these members praised the DG’s hard work and her achievements during her first term”.
Expressing her gratitude for the support, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala was quoted to have said, among other things, that everything she had accomplished was accomplished together with them (the members); adding that she took their call very seriously and was favourably inclined to it.
She promised to soon give feedback on her intentions on the subject to members.
