By Emmanuel Egobiambu

Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala has been reappointed as the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

This is her second term in office. Her present stint will end on 31 August 2025.

She was first elected as the WTO DG on February 15, 2021.

Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and the first African to head the WTO was the only candidate in the race and had been all but assured a second term.

The organisation’s 166 members “today agreed to give incumbent Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala a second term as director-general,” the WTO said in a statement.

The 70-year-old Nigerian’s reappointment was approved by consensus during a special meeting of the organisation’s General Council, held behind closed doors, the WTO said.

Her current term ends in August 2025, and the appointment process for the next mandate had initially been scheduled to take months.

But with Okonjo-Iweala the only candidate, African countries called for the process to be speeded up, officially to facilitate preparations for the WTO’s next big ministerial conference, set to be held in Cameroon in 2026.

Since taking the WTO reins, Okonjo-Iweala has tried to breathe new life into the fragile organisation, pushing for a fresh focus on areas like climate change and health.

Breaking: the General Council has appointed Director-General @NOIweala for a second term, effective 1 September 2025. More details to follow. pic.twitter.com/JSqC4RDZ8o

— WTO (@wto) November 29, 2024

‘I am Deeply Honoured’

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. X/@NOIweala

Following her reappointment, an elated Okonjo-Iweala said she was “honoured” and counted the move as a “privilege”.

“I am deeply honoured by the trust and support of the WTO General Council and its 166 Members. It is a privilege to continue serving as Director-General for a second four-year term,” she said in a statement on the organisation’s website.

“As we look ahead, I remain firmly committed to delivering results that matter—results that ultimately improve the lives of people around the world. By promoting trade as a driver of economic growth and resilience, the WTO will continue to provide a collaborative platform for Members to address shared global challenges,” the former Nigerian finance minister said.

“I am deeply committed to working alongside the talented and dedicated staff of the WTO to build a more inclusive, equitable, and rules-based multilateral trading system that benefits all.”

Okonjo-Iweala twice served as Nigeria’s finance minister (2003-2006 and 2011-2015) and its first female foreign minister in a two-month stint in 2006.

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