Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has become the sole candidate for the position of director-general at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The WTO announced that the former Nigerian finance minister has accepted a second term for the organization’s top role.
“Nominations for Director-General closed; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala confirmed as sole candidate,” the WTO said in a Saturday statement.
“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 by the deadline of 8 November and that the incumbent Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is therefore the only candidate for the role.
“Director-General Okonjo-Iweala confirmed her willingness to serve a second four-year term in the role in a letter to the Chair on 16 September. On 8 October, the WTO formally commenced the process for appointing its next Director-General, with members given until 8 November to submit nominations.”
The WTO said the chair of the General Council will communicate the next steps in this process in the coming days.
“The process was led by the General Council Chair in accordance with the WTO’s “Procedures for the Appointment of Directors-General,” the organisation said.
Okonjo-Iweala’s current term will conclude on August 31, 2025.
She was appointed as WTO director-general on February 15, 2021, making history as the first woman and the first African to lead the trade organization.
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