*Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy forwarded to World Trade Organisation (WTO) by Buhari’s government
Nigeria has approved the nomination of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the country’s former Coordinating Minister for the Economy. She was put forward for the position of the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Prior to her nomination, President Muhammadu Buhari had on Thursday withdrew the candidacy of Yonov Agah, who is Nigeria’s permanent representative to WTO, for the same position. The election is scheduled to hold in Geneva, Switzerland sometimes in 2021 for a four-year term that would run from 2021 to 2025. That is, after the former Director-General of the organisation, Roberto Azevedo, stepped down a year to the end of his second term.
Buhari’s nomination letter reads, “The embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and permanent mission to the African Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa present compliments to all embassies and permanent missions in Addis Ababa and has the honour to inform that the Federal Government of Nigeria has withdrawn the candidacy of Ambassador Yonov Frederick Agah for election to the position of director-general of the World Trade Organisation.”
“Nigeria is therefore pleased to request the support of esteemed AU member states as well as permanent missions and embassies in Addis Ababa in favour of the candidacy of Okonjo-Iweala.” Okonjo-Iweala currently chairs the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, a public-private global health partnership with the goal of increasing access to immunisation in poor countries. She also sits on the board of many blue-chip companies including Twitter and is a former managing director (operations) at the World Bank.
Nigeria also attached a very intimidating curriculum vitae of Okonjo-Iweala who has become a global brand especially in the financial sector.
