AU Chair urges countries to rally behind Okonjo-Iweala for WTO
8 October 2020
His Excellency, Mr. Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa and Chairperson of the African Union, congratulates Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on her advancement to the third and final stage of the selection process for the position of the Director-General (DG) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is the first African woman to stand for election and reach the final stage of selection for the WTO DG post. President Ramaphosa stated: “Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is a highly distinguished African, who has excelled in various public offices, in her native Nigeria, including responsibilities in the AU, and in numerous international assignments.
“At a time when international organisations need to be repurposed, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is the right person to reposition the WTO in order to be an effective instrument for facilitating a fair, just, equitable and rules-based trading system. I have no doubt that she has the credentials and capability to restore order in an otherwise turbulent multilateral trading system.”