WTO DG: Three Candidates Dropped As Okonjo- Iweala Scales Through To Next Stage

Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has secured a spot in the next stage of the keenly contested job at the World Trade Organisation.

The Geneva- based WTO had concluded the first of three rounds of voting where eight candidates tested their popularity.

The WTO will on Friday announce the eviction of the three candidates who did not secure enough votes, according to Bloomberg.

The candidates to depart include Mexico’s Jesus Seade, Egypt’s Hamid Mamdouh and Moldova’s Tudor Ulianovschi.

Their departure leaves five contestants vying for the role including two of them from Africa.

The five to proceed to the second round include Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, Amina Chawahir Mohamed Jibril, Kenya’s former international trade minister, Mohammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri, Saudi Arabia’s former Minister of Economy and Planning.

Others are Liam Fox, U.K.’s former Secretary of State for International Trade and Yoo Myung-hee, South Korea’s Minister of Trade.

WTO former DG, Brazil’s Roberto Azevedo had vacated the position a year before the end of his tenure late August.

Africa has not been represented to occupy the top spot of the WTO since its 25-years of existence.

Nigeria’s Okonjo- Iweala has been tipped by experts as the best candidate to lead the 25- year old trade organisation during the most pressing time in its history amidst the covid-19 pandemic and the U.S.-China trade war.

During her campaign, Okonjo-Iweala had said she will play a proactive, supportive and a solution oriented role and the Director General of the World Trade Organisation.

“If selected, what kind of WTO DG would I be? Proactive, supportive and solutions-oriented,” she had said.

Okonjo- Iweala who advocated equal opportunities for all the members of the WTO, said the problem with the Organisation did not start with the pandemic.

She said the negotiating function of the WTO has not produced many multilateral outcomes since its establishment in January 1995.

According to her the leadership gap has prompted several members to initiate various negotiations on specific issues at the WTO.

“The dispute settlement system, considered a fundamental pillar providing certainty and predictability to the MTS, is now in question as a result of disagreements over the Appellate Body,” she said.

Okonjo- Iweala, however said, “If selected as WTO Director-General, I consider that I am well placed to address its challenges. “

The Nigerian maintained that she would fight for a WTO where greater trust among members and a renewed commitment to core objectives and principles lays the ground for overcoming the challenges that have paralyzed the organization over the years.