Fifty-eight of the 164 member states of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have expressed their support for extending the term of the incumbent Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for a second term.
This was revealed at a WTO General Council meeting on July 22, according to an official statement from the organization.
The statement read, “The African Group requests that the current Director-General make herself available to serve a second term and has proposed that the process of reappointing the Director-General should be started as soon as possible.”
During the meeting, 58 members, many representing various groups, voiced their support for this proposal, urging Okonjo-Iweala to announce her intentions regarding a second term soon. The majority praised her hard work and achievements during her first term.
Okonjo-Iweala, who is 70, expressed her gratitude for the support from the members, saying, “Everything that I’ve accomplished, we’ve accomplished together.” She acknowledged the members’ call seriously and indicated that she was favorably inclined towards a second term, promising to communicate her intentions shortly.
Okonjo-Iweala assumed office on March 1, 2021, and her first term is set to expire on August 31, 2025. She is eligible for a second term. She made history as the first woman and the first African to hold the position of WTO Director-General.
Before her current role, Okonjo-Iweala served as Nigeria’s Finance Minister twice, from 2003 to 2006 and from 2011 to 2015, and briefly as Foreign Minister in 2006. She was also a development economist at the World Bank for 25 years, where she rose to the position of Managing Director of operations.