Former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has advanced to the final round in the race to lead the World Trade Organization WTO.
Members of the Geneva based trade body also selected South Korea’s Yoo Myung-Lee.
The final two stages were selected from a list of five candidates. The initial pool of eight candidates to replace Roberto Azvedo, who stepped down as WTO Director-General in August – a year ahead of schedule was narrowed down to five last month.
The three eliminated during the second round of “confessionals” – in which all members-states confidentially voiced their preferences – were Liam Fox of Britain, Mohammed Al-Tuwajiri of Saudi Arabia and Amina Mohamed of Kenya.
The WTO will likely have the first female Director-General in it’s 25 year history as no woman has ever headed the global trade body.
A third and final round of consultations will begin later this month and is scheduled to run untill November 6, when the WTO aims to agree by consensus on the next Director-General.
Okonjo-Iweala, 66, served as Nigeria’s first female finance and foreign minister and has a 25 year career behind her s a development economist at the World Bank, eventually becoming it’s number 2.
She is also on the Twitter board of directors and is a special envoy for the World Health Organization’s Covid-19 fight.
If she emerged triumphant from the final elimination round, she would not only be the first woman, but also the first African to head the global trade body.If she emerged triumphant from the final elimination round, she would not only be the first woman, but also the first African to head the global trade body.
Yoo, 53, is meanwhile currently serving as her country’s first female trade minister, following a career in trade Diplomacy and foreign affairs.
