Support for Nigeria’s ex Finance Minister and top runner for the position of the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been rising in recent days, easing hope that the economist may clinch the top job.
Having advanced to the final stage of the selection process, the international development expert will slug it out with her only rival, Yoo Myung-hee of South Korea. New Zealand Permanent Representative to the WTO, David Walker, said the two “secured the broadest and deepest support from the membership”. The race means that a woman will run the global trade arbiter for the first time in its history.
Okonjo-Iweala sits on the Boards of Standard Chartered Bank, Twitter, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, and the African Risk Capacity and has continued to get widespread endorsements across the world.
Before her endorsement by President Mohammadu Buhari yesterday, his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa had in a series of tweets said: “Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is a highly distinguished African, who has excelled in various public offices, in her native Nigeria, including responsibilities in the AU, and in numerous international assignments. At a time when international organisations need to be repurposed, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is the right person to reposition the WTO in order to be an effective instrument for facilitating a fair, just, equitable and rules-based trading system.
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He encouraged all member states of the @_AfricanUnion to rally behind Dr. Okonjo-Iweala during the final round of nominations, which will see for the first time in the history of the WTO, the appointment of a female DG and one coming from the African continent.
Also, the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS) gave nod to her candidacy. The endorsement by the 15-member-state regional group is a boost to Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala candidature.
The president of ECOWAS, Mahamadou Issoufou, who announced the endorsement in a statement, said the decision was taken based on the authority of the Heads of State and Governments of its member-countries. He urged other African countries as well as non-African countries to join in endorsing the candidature of the former World Bank’s Managing Director, considering the need to field a strong and formidable African representative in the elections.
Representatives of countries in the European Union have agreed to support Okonjo-Iweala and Myung-hee, an indication that their votes will be split between both candidates.
Despite the widespread endorsements for Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, there have been pockets of opposition against her candidacy. The Office of the Legal Counsel of the African Union said that the candidature of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for the WTO job is not in line with extant rules. This followed her nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari after Nigeria withdrew the candidacy of Yunov Agah, Nigeria’s permanent representative to WTO.
Although no reasons were given for withdrawing Agah’s candidacy, but analysts mentioned Mrs Okonjo-Iweala’s record of accomplishments in international development and finance. Agah’s candidacy, already endorsed by AU Executive Council, was withdrawn in a request letter dated June 4.
The two other African candidates shortlisted by the AU alongside Mr Agah were Egypt’s Hamid Mamdouh, a trade lawyer, member of the WTO Secretariat, and trade negotiator for Egypt; and Beninoise Eloi Laourou, the ambassador and permanent representative of Benin to the United Nations and other organisations in Geneva.
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