The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has announced her intention to seek another four-year term.
Okonjo-Iweala, who made history as the first woman and African to lead the global trade body in 2021, aims to complete ‘unfinished business’ from her first mandate.
“I would like to be part of this chapter of the WTO story and I stand ready to compete for the position,” Okonjo-Iweala told Reuters on Monday.
She confirmed her focus would be on delivering critical reforms, including ending fisheries subsidies, advancing global agriculture negotiations, and addressing the WTO’s dispute resolution system.
“For my second term, I intend to focus on delivering,” she added.
At 70, the former Nigerian finance minister has until November to officially reapply. However, an Africa-led push, supported by several nations, seeks to secure her second term ahead of the US presidential elections in November.
Okonjo-Iweala’s first appointment was initially blocked by former US President Donald Trump, but she later gained the backing of President Joe Biden in 2021.
When asked about the potential impact of another Trump presidency, she responded, “I don’t focus on that because I have no control.”
Okonjo-Iweala remains focused on global trade reforms despite the significant geopolitical challenges she faces.
“It is tough, you know, very tough. There’s no getting away from that. But it’s also a job that makes me want to get out of bed in the morning,” she told Reuters.
Okonjo-Iweala is one of the few WTO chiefs in the body’s history to land global trade deals, including the first part of a global treaty on cutting fishing subsidies agreed in 2022.
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