The heads of state and governments of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have unanimously endorsed the candidature of Nigeria’s former minister of finance and coordinating minister for the economy and minister of finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for the position of the director general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
In a statement dated June 19 and signed by the ECOWAS president and Nigerien president, Mr. Mahamadou Issoufou, the leaders also called on other African countries and non-African countries to support their candidature for the job.
The statement recalled that no African has headed the organisation since its establishment in 1975.
They said Nigeria had formally nominated Okonjo-Iweala for the position of director general of the WTO for 2021-2025.
They also said the nominee who has “excellent qualification” has had a vast experience having worked in international organisation and currently serves as board chair of Gavi.
“Since the creation of the WTO on January 1, 1995, which is a successor to the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) established on January 1, 1948, no African has assumed the position of director general of the organisation,” they said.
“Having acknowledged the strong academic and professional background of Dr. Okonjo-Iweala and her very large experience in national affairs as Nigeria’s Finance Minister (2003 -2006 and 2011-2015) and Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister briefly in 2016; having further acknowledged her long years of managerial experience at the top of multilateral institutions, her established reputation as a fearless reformer, her excellent negotiating and political skills, her experience of over 30 years as a development economist with a long standing interest in trade, her excellent academic qualification, her positions as managing director, World Bank, and currently as Board Chair, Gavi, and African Union Special Envoy to Mobilise Financial Resources for the fight against COVID-19, ECOWAS endorses the candidature of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for the position of director general of the WTO for the period 2021-2025,” they stated.
The ECOWAS leaders recalled the communication by the chairman of the general council of the WTO announcing the commencement of a process for the appointment of a new director general of the organisation, with the opening and closing dates of nominations set as June 8 and July 8 respectively.
