Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala appointed as new head of the World Trade Organisaton

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has made history as the first woman and the first African to take the helm of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)

15th February 2021

Invest Africa, the leading trade and investment platform for African markets, congratulates Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on her appointment as the head of the WTO.

Karen Taylor, CEO of Invest Africa, said “We congratulate Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on her historic appointment as the head of the WTO. She brings a wealth of experience to the role from her time at World Bank to her two terms as Nigeria’s finance minister. Africa has shown its commitment to lowering barriers to trade regionally through the African Continental Free Trade Area and we wish Dr. Okonjo-Iweala every success as she takes on the challenge of leading the global trade body. “

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala takes on the role of heading up the WTO at an uncertain time in the organisation’s history as mounting US-China trade tensions between and the profound economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic create new challenges. Africa represents only a small proportion of global trade but its leaders have taken a clear policy decision to facilitate the regional flow of goods and people through the adoption of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala brings 7 years as Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and 25 years at the World Bank as well as board positions at Standard Chartered Bank, Twitter, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), and the African Risk Capacity (ARC) to her new role at the WTO.