Ngozi Okongo-Iweala Becomes First African Head Of WTO

Nigerian economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has officially been appointed director general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), becoming the first African and the first woman to hold the position. 

Dr Okonjo-Iweala, 66, was appointed on Monday after US President Joe Biden endorsed her candidacy, which had previously been blocked by President Donald Trump. 

As head of the WTO, Okonjo-Iweala will oversee trade negotiations and deals between the organisation’s 164 constituent countries. 

Speaking at an online news conference following her appointment, Okonjo-Iweala said she felt an “additional burden” as the first woman and first African to hold the post.

“All credit to members for electing me and making that history, but the bottom line is that if I want to really make Africa and women proud I have to produce results, and that's where my mind is at now,” she said. 

She also advised that her first priority would be tackling the economic and health consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, in particular by lifting export restrictions on supplies and vaccines and encouraging the manufacturing of vaccines in more countries.

She also warned against the rise of vaccine nationalism, whereby wealthier countries are able to vaccinate their populations much quicker than poorer countries.

“The nature of the pandemic and the mutation of many variants makes this such that no one country can feel safe until every country has taken precautions to vaccinate its population," she said.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala has previously served as Nigeria’s finance minister and, briefly, as foreign minister. Prior to that she worked at the World Bank for 25 years, rising to the No. 2 position of managing director, where she oversaw $81 billion in development financing for Africa, South Asia, Europe and Central Asia. 

She holds a bachelor’s’ degree in economics from Harvard University and Ph.D. in regional economics and development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.