By Ismail Auwal
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) to consider the appointment of a new director-general on February 15.
The trade organization in a statement on Tuesday said that, said the general council, its top decision making body, will have a virtual meeting.
“The WTO’s General Council will hold a special meeting on 15 February at 15:00 Geneva time to consider the appointment of the next Director-General. The meeting will take place in virtual format,” the statement read.
Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala remains the only candidate after Yoo Myung-hee, South Korea’s candidate for the WTO top job, withdrew her candidacy.
If confirmed by consensus, she will be the first female WTO DG and the first African to head the organisation.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former finance minister, had secured the popular vote by a wide margin on October 28, 2020 but was not named DG because the US opposed her candidacy.
The US had said it favoured Yoo over Okonjo-Iweala because WTO is in dire need of reform and must be “led by someone with ‘real, hands-on experience’ in the field”. The Donald Trump- led administration suggested that the race be reopened.
However, the US government, led by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris expressed strong support for Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy as WTO DG.
