Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, PhD; an Harvard University graduate was appointed Monday to be the next director-general of the World Trade Organization. She is the first African and the first woman to lead the body, which governs trade rules between nations.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former two-time Nigerian finance minister, earned her PhD in regional economics and development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
During her first term as Minister of Finance under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, she spearheaded negotiations with the Paris Club that led to the wiping out of US$30 billion of Nigeria’s debt, including the outright cancellation of US$18 billion.
Okonjo-Iweala said she was "honoured" to be selected to lead the organization, and vowed to take on global economic and health challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
"A strong WTO is vital if we are to recover fully and rapidly from the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. I look forward to working with members to shape and implement the policy responses we need to get the global economy going again," Okonjo-Iweala said.
"Our organization faces a great many challenges but working together we can collectively make the WTO stronger, more agile and better adapted to the realities of today," she added.
Okonjo-Iweala has received numerous recognition and awards. She has been listed as one of the 50 Greatest World Leaders (Fortune, 2015), the Top 100 Most Influential People in the World (TIME, 2014), the Top 100 Global Thinkers (Foreign Policy, 2011 and 2012),[93] the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the World (Forbes, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014),[94] the Top 3 Most Powerful Women in Africa (Forbes, 2012), the Top 10 Most Influential Women in Africa (Forbes, 2011) etc. the Top 100 Women in the World.etc.
She is married to Ikemba Iweala, a neurosurgeon from Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria. They have four children.
