Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, currently serving as Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), has been confirmed as the sole candidate for the organization’s top role. The WTO announced on Saturday that Okonjo-Iweala, who agreed to serve a second term, is unopposed, following the nomination deadline on November 8.
“Ambassador Petter Ølberg of Norway, Chair of the General Council, informed WTO members on 9 November that no further nominations for the position of Director-General had been received,” the WTO stated. Okonjo-Iweala’s current term, which began on February 15, 2021, will conclude on August 31, 2025.
Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister, became the first woman and the first African to lead the WTO in 2021. During her tenure, she has focused on completing longstanding negotiations on fishery subsidies and revitalizing the WTO’s Appellate Body. With a legacy as a trailblazer in Nigeria, Okonjo-Iweala has previously served as finance minister twice and as the country’s first female foreign minister.
