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Special Report

WTO: Ngozi

Iweala and

the veto

from Trump

South Korea’s Yoo Myung Hee Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

he race to succeed Robert South Korean Trade Minister Yoo tough debt relief arrangement with the
TAzevedo as Director-General of Myung-hee, as someone with hands- country’s principal creditors, easing
the World Trade Organization (WTO) on experience in international trade. off Nigeria’s debt overhang and freeing
reaches the decisive stage this month. Okonjo-Iweala, who would be the first much-needed funds for the country’s
On 9 November the 164 member African WTO leader, is also a U.S. development.
states of the organization are expected citizen. Mrs Okonjo-Iweala got the
to chose between the two contestants Academically, she graduated from the endorsement of 79 out of the 164
remaining in the race, Nigeria’s Ngozi world-famous Harvard University, member states of the WTO, including
Okonjo-Iweala and South Korea’s Yoo regarded by most as the preeminent Ivy from the European parliament,
Myung Hee, deserves the position.
League university in the United States which found with her proposals to
It has been along drawn contest, which of America and probably the world, comprehensively reform the WTO in
started with an array of eminently where she qualified as a development line with the emerging realities of the
qualified contestants from across the economist. She has worked with global trading system.
world. The fact that the two remaining the World Bank, rising to become What won Okonjo-Iweala support
contestants have come thus far shows Managing Director—the second among most members were her
that they both are deserving of the highest official of the Development plans to integrate the WTO into on-
position. But in the end, there can only Bank after the President. going efforts by countries around the
be one choice for the position, which Okonjo-Iweala also served as Nigeria’s world to cope with the impact of the
decision the member states of the Finance Minister on two different COVID-19. This marked her as one in
organization will have to make.
occasions and had a short stint as the tune with the present realities and the
The recent decision by the EU to country’s Foreign Minister. Ngozi challenges many countries face as the
throw support behind Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the chairwoman of world enters a recession. With this, it
Okonjo-Iweala is being seen as giving GAVI, a vaccine-finance agency is expected that more countries will
her advantage; however, with just days Okonjo-Iweala has an impressive Bio endorse Okonjo-Iweala’s bid to clinch
to go before the U.S. election, President as a public servant both in Nigeria the coveted post in the days preceding
Donald Trump’s administration struck and with International institutions she the final election.
another blow to the global trade served, Okonjo pushing issues around It all seemed over, when the EU backed
watchdog, rejecting Nigeria’s Ngozi economics, finance, gender, public Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the next
Okonjo-Iweala, the woman proposed health and good governance. director-general of the World Trade
by a nomination “troika” to be the Organization, and was expected to
WTO’s next director-general. As Nigeria’s Finance Minister, she boost the profile of Africa and other
initiated far-reaching reforms in public
The U.S. is supporting a rival candidate, emerging countries in the global
finance and successfully negotiated a

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