The World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has announced her intention to seek a second four-year term as head of the WTO. Okonjo-Iweala, who became the first female and African leader of the WTO in 2021, aims to complete “unfinished business” from her first mandate, including tackling fisheries subsidies, advancing global agricultural negotiations, and reforming the organisation’s dispute resolution system.
She revealed her plans while explaining that her second term would focus on ending fisheries subsidies and reaching a breakthrough in global agriculture negotiations, as well as reforming the WTO’s hobbled disputes system and decarbonising trade.
Officially, she has until November to formally apply, but an Africa-led push to start the process early was initiated to secure her second term before the U.S. election in November.
The 70-year-old former Nigerian finance minister said, “I would like to be part of this chapter of the WTO story and I stand ready to compete for the position. For my second term, I intend to focus on delivering.”
Despite political uncertainties, Okonjo-Iweala remains determined to lead the WTO through critical reforms, following the challenges she faced during her first term, including initial opposition from the Trump administration before gaining U.S. support under President Joe Biden.
In 2020, former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration blocked her appointment in a step seen by some as an attack on an organisation he once described as “horrible”. She secured U.S. backing when Joe Biden succeeded Trump in 2021.
Asked whether both she and the WTO could be successful if Trump is elected, she said: “I don’t focus on that because I have no control.”
Melissa Enoch
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