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The newly appointed director of the World Trade Organization, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala became the first woman and the first African to keep the paper in its history. Her dual citizenship with the United States also makes her the first American to hold this position.
The 164 members of the WTO unanimously selected the 66-year-old Nigerian economist on Monday to serve a four-year term as the organization’s Director-General. His term is scheduled to begin on March 1, 2021.
Iweala takes office at a time when global economies are grappling with the post-pandemic hit. His appointment also corresponds with criticisms from the WTO about the negative ramifications of globalization and capitalism in the developing world.
Who is Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala?
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a Nigerian economist whose career in development and finance spans more than four decades. Iweala served as Nigerian Minister of Finance, serving two consecutive terms, first from 2003 to 2006 and then from 2011 to 2015. She was also the first woman to hold this position in her country and the first woman to hold it twice. . .
Iweala was Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs after her first term as Finance Minister, again becoming the first woman to hold this position. He held this position for two months.
As Finance Minister, she was seen as a tough negotiator who played a key role in reducing and settling Nigeria’s debts.
Iweala has also spent more than 20 years working with the World Bank, where she rose to become Managing Director of the organization and oversaw operations worth $ 181 billion.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on the Covid-19 pandemic
As president of GAVI or Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, she worked on the broader outreach of immunization and vaccines around the world, especially for vulnerable populations. He also recognized the work that the WTO must do in this area, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
After his appointment to the WTO, Iweala said his first priority would be to focus on the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, especially in the economic and health sectors. According to her, priority tasks include efficient supply and trade of Covid-19 vaccines around the world. These would lift restrictions on the export of supplies and vaccines and encourage the manufacture of vaccines in more countries, AP reported.
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He has also referred to the issue of “lack of trust” among WTO members and expressed the urgent need to build this trust after years of sanctions and tariffs between member countries.
