President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated a former finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for the position of director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Mrs Okonjo-Iweala was nominated after Buhari withdrew the candidacy of Nigeria’s permanent representative to WTO and the organisation’s deputy director-general, Yonov Agah, for the same position, TheCable reports.
“The embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and permanent mission to the African Union (AU) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) presents 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embassies and permanent missions in Addis Ababa and has the honour to inform that the Federal Government of Nigeria has withdrawn the candidacy of Ambassador Yonov Frederick Agah for election to the position of director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO),” a letter seen by the news platform read.
“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.”
Former DG of the organisation, Roberto Azevedo, stepped down a year to the end of his second term, prompting an election now scheduled to hold in Geneva, Switzerland in 2021.
Okonjo-Iweala is a former managing director (operations) at the World Bank.
In April, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, named her a member of the fund’s external advisory group.
