Fifty-eight of the 164 member states of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have expressed support for the African Group’s proposal to extend the term of incumbent Director-General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for a second term.
This was disclosed at a July 22 meeting of the WTO General Council, according to a statement from the organization.
“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.
At the meeting, 58 members, many speaking on behalf of various groups, voiced their support for the proposal. They urged DG Okonjo-Iweala to announce her intentions regarding a second term soon. The majority praised her hard work and accomplishments during her first term.
Okonjo-Iweala, who is 70, expressed gratitude for the support from the members. “Everything that I’ve accomplished, we’ve accomplished together,” she said.
She noted that she took the members’ call seriously and was favourably inclined, promising to communicate her intentions shortly.
Having assumed office on March 1, 2021, Okonjo-Iweala’s first term is set to expire on August 31, 2025. She is eligible for a second term.
Okonjo-Iweala made history as the first woman and the first African to hold the position of WTO Director-General.
Before her current role, she 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.
