Okonjo-Iweala Meets 164 Delegates As She Resumes As WTO DG

Okonjo-Iweala Meets 164 Delegates As She Resumes As WTO DG
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (New Director-General, World Trade Organisation)

Former Nigerian two-time Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Monday resumed as first African and first female Director-General of World Trade Organisation.

The Former Nigerian minister was confirmed as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation on February 15.

Her resumption coincided with a closed meeting of the organization’s top decision-making body, THE GENERAL COUNCIL, where met 164 members states’ delegates through virtual meeting

Also Read: WTO: Mercy Aigbe Congratulates Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

The meeting afforded her to pledge her commitment to the organization. She said, “I feel great. I am coming into one of the most important institutions in the entire world and there is a lot to do. Things are not easy when members were negotiating and there are still a lot of critical issues that need to be sorted out. But we are hopeful.”

The organization has also agreed to hold its next ministerial conference in Geneva, Switzerland on November 29 after the one scheduled to hold in Kazakhstan in 2020 was cancelled due to Covid-19.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who seems prepared for her new job said she hoped the conference would be an avenue to sealing deals on ending fisheries subsidies and reform the World Trade Organisation top appeals body which was paralyzed by Donald Trump administration.