Shock As US Rejects Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s Appointment As WTO Director-General

The anticipation for the Former Finance Minister in Nigeria, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to become the new Director-General of the World Trade Organization is becoming far from reality.

The United States representative at World Trade Organization took to the floor to insist that South Korea’s candidate remained a contender, and that Washington will not recognise Okonjo-Iweala as the consensus candidate for appointment as director-general.

In response to this, the General Counsel has postponed its announcement of the new Director-General until a further meeting, which is scheduled for 9 November; after the US presidential elections.

A panel at the WTO recommended Iweala on Wednesday for the position. If she eventually wins, Iweala would be the first woman, and the first African, to lead the institution.

She had won the support from the vast majority of member states, including the EU, Japan and China, but not the United States.