WTO: Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s kicks off her first day
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and first African to assume the position of Director-General of the World Trade Organization arrived Monday at the Geneva headquarters for her first day in office after her official appointment on February 15 — in spite of the delay attributed to the former US President Trump blocking her nomination.
This historic job kickoff coincides with the annual meeting of the body’s General Council where delegates are to agree on the organisation’ of their next ministerial conference.
One of her first tasks of the 66-year-old Nigerian former finance minister will be to nominate four new deputy directors to help recharge the organisation’s negotiating mechanism.
This and others amid the global economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic — about which Okonjo-Iweala has voiced concern about growing protectionism and nationalism.
The leader has already insisted that trade barriers must be lowered to help the world recover. and her term in office will see about any possible improvement to the collective health of the global economy.
