(3 minutes read)
· It appears that the majority of EU member states voted in favor of Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the next head of World Trade Organization
· It is reported that at a closed door meeting held on Monday last, most of the 27 EU member states expressed their preference for the African candidate
· A dozen others are also supporting her, according to sources
It appears that the majority of EU member states voted in favor of Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the next head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) . If gets elected, she will be the first African to head the WTO. But officially, no decision has been taken yet.
There are several firsts in the election of the WTO chief this time around. First is the presence of only women candidates in the final round, the other being 53-year old South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee. Both candidates have good track records. Ngozi is Nigeria’s former finance minister and Yoo Myung-hee, is the first woman from her country to head the Ministry of Commerce.
It is reported that at a closed door meeting held on Monday last, most of the 27 EU member states expressed their preference for the African candidate. A dozen others are also supporting her, according to sources. Hungary and a Baltic state, however, refused to join the consensus. The deadline for selecting the candidate is 7 November and a person has to be selected by that time through consensus to avoid voting. Brazilian Roberto Azevedo was the earlier head. In an unexpected development, earlier in August, he relinquished the post a year earlier than scheduled, keeping the post vacant. .
