With her confirmation as Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has become the first woman and first African leader of the world body in charge of global trade matters at a time the organization is going through its most trying period in history. Whether Okonjo-Iweala’s ceiling breaking appointment would give the near-paralysed institution the desperately needed kick-start is left to be seen.
Ngozi-Okonjo Iweala’s tortuous journey to the world trade body was controversial and an interesting piece of geopolitical muscle flexing. Two things worked for her, first she got the support of the majority of members of council of the WTO, second, the failure of President Donald Trump to secure a second term in office. The latter, more than the former, was instrumental to her ascendency to the office, as it saved the WTO from an election process that would have further deepened the fractured organsisation which many believed Trump was bent on fighting.
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But with the support of the United States President Joe Biden who strongly swung behind her candidacy shortly after the only other remaining contender, South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee, pulled out. Add to this was WTO’s eagerness to conclude the drawn-out process, having been leaderless since Brazilian career diplomat Roberto Azevedo stepped down last August, a year ahead of schedule.
The process of picking one of eight candidates to succeed him had been expected to wrap up by November, but the administration of former US president Donald Trump blocked the consensus to appoint Okonjo-Iweala. Though Okonjo-Iweala was not around at WTO’s Geneva headquarters for today’s virtual session and it is not known when she would take up her duties but she is scheduled to hold an online press conference two hours later after her election.
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The WTO picks its leaders through consensus-finding, so even though she is the only candidate still in the race — boasting US, EU and African backing — there is always the chance of a spanner being thrown in the works. She will take over an organisation mired in multiple crises and struggling to help member states navigate the severe global economic slump triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.
Okonjo-Iweala argued during the race that she was best placed out of the eight candidates for the post to steer the WTO through the crises. “I am a reform candidate,” she insisted. She has among other things warned that growing protectionism and nationalism have been spurred on by the pandemic and insists barriers need to be lowered to help the world recover.
Even before Covid-19 battered the global economy, the WTO was weighed down by stalled trade talks and struggled to curb trade tensions between the United States and China.
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The WTO also faced relentless attacks from Washington under Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump. Among other things, Trump brought the WTO’s dispute settlement appeal system to a grinding halt in late 2019.
Okonjo-Iweala has said her priorities include getting long-blocked trade talks on fishery subsidies across the finish line and breathing life back into WTO’s Appellate Body. She has brushed off claims she lacks experience as a trade minister or negotiator, insisting that what is needed to lead the WTO is not technical skills but “boldness, courage”. She has portrayed herself as a champion against Nigeria’s rampant corruption — saying her own mother was even kidnapped over her attempts to tackle the scourge. But her critics argue she should have done more to tackle it while in power.
A development economist by training with degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, Okonjo-Iweala has also had a 25-year career as a development economist at the World Bank, eventually becoming its number two. She is on the Twitter board of directors and chaired Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry