Fifty-eight of the 164 member states of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have expressed support for a proposal by the African Group to back the incumbent Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for a second term.
The endorsement came during a WTO General Council meeting on July 22, according to a statement from the global trade body.
“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,” the statement read.
The statement further noted, “Fifty-eight members, several speaking on behalf of groups of members, took the floor to comment and express their support for the African Group proposal. They called on DG Okonjo-Iweala to make her intentions regarding a second term known as soon as possible. Most of these members praised the DG’s hard work and her achievements during her first term.”
Okonjo-Iweala, 70, responded with gratitude for the support, saying, “Everything that I’ve accomplished, we’ve accomplished together.”
She acknowledged the call from members and indicated that she was favorably inclined towards serving another term.
“I will get back to members very soon regarding my intentions,” she added.
Okonjo-Iweala, the seventh Director-General of the WTO, took office on March 1, 2021, for a four-year term set to expire on August 31, 2025. She is eligible for a second term.
Her tenure as Director-General marked several firsts: she is the first woman and the first African to lead the WTO.
Before her current role, Okonjo-Iweala served as Nigeria’s Finance Minister from 2003 to 2006 and from 2011 to 2015, and briefly as Foreign Minister in 2006, the first woman to hold both positions.
She also had a distinguished 25-year career at the World Bank, where she rose to the position of Managing Director, Operations.