The Federal Government has restated its commitment to ensuring that Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala emerges as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made this known in a press statement on Thursday titled “titled, ‘Update on Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s aspiration to lead the World Trade Organisation’.
The statement was signed by Ferdinand Nwonye, spokesperson for the Ministry.
“Nigeria will continue to engage relevant stakeholders to ensure that the lofty aspiration of her candidate to lead the World Trade Organisation is realised,” the statement said.
Efforts by the WTO’s to select a new DG by consensus failed on Wednesday after the United States vetoed the process.
US Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer, supported Yoo even though Okonjo-Iweala gained American citizenship in 2019.
Lighthizer sees Okonjo-Iweala, a longtime top official at the World Bank, as being too close to pro-trade internationalists like Robert Zoellick, a former USTR from the Bush administration, who worked with her when he was president of the Bank.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the former Managing Director of the World Bank had secured the support of the majority of the WTO members with only the United States opposing her.
It stated that a meeting of the General Council of the WTO has been scheduled for November 9, 2020, for the final decision on the election process.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform that the third and final round of the selection process of the Director-General of the World Trade Organization was concluded on Tuesday, 27th October 2020, and the result was formally announced on Wednesday, 28th October 2020.
“The candidate from Nigeria, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has secured the support of the majority of the member countries but is yet to be declared and returned the winner.
“This is because, apart from winning the election, all the 164 Member States of WTO were expected to adopt the winner by consensus, in accordance with the rule of procedure of the WTO.
“It is important to highlight that Dr Okonjo-Iweala has secured cross-regional backing with only the United States opposing the consensus.”
