Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been confirmed as the sole running candidate for the director general position of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This was confirmed by Ambassador Petter Ølberg of Norway, Chair of the General Council, who informed WTO members on November 9 that no further nominations for the position of Director-General had been received by the deadline of November 8. The incumbent Director-General, Okonjo-Iweala, is therefore the only candidate for the role. ALSO READ: What would a second Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala term mean for Africa? Okonjo-Iweala confirmed her intention to serve a second four-year term in the role in a letter to the Chair on September 16. On October 8, the WTO formally commenced the process for appointing its next Director-General, with members given until November 8 to submit nominations. Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister and World Bank Managing Director, made history by becoming the first woman and African to lead the organisation when members appointed her in March 2021 in a race that was tight. In 2021, Okonjo-Iweala outcompeted all African candidates – Egypt’s Abdel Hamid Mamdouh and Kenya’s Amina Mohamed – thanks to her stellar career at the World Bank and other global leadership positions, which convinced many of her supporters then that her experience matched perfectly the demand of the top position. Also read: What chance does Africa stand to lead the WTO? The race The tenure of the current Director-General ends in August 2025. The African Group, an informal group of members who oversee African interests at the WTO, wrote to the General Council in July requesting the reappointment of Okonjo-Iweala. “The African Group is of the view that it would be in the best interest of the Organisation if the process of reappointment were to start early for a number of reasons,” Chad, who currently leads the group, wrote to the General Council. The African Group advanced a number of arguments to support the reappointment of Okonjo-Iweala, among which included the fact that the organization delivered many successes at two ministerial conferences (2022 and 2024) led by the current director general. “It is essential that we build on these results at MC14 [2026 ministerial conference],” the group chair said in a note that was circulated among members and seen by The New Times, adding that it would be important to ensure continuity and preserve the gains made so far. However, trade experts who recently spoke to this publication had mixed feelings about Okonjo-Iweala’s intention to run for the second term. Africa Kiiza, Research Fellow at Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, challenged the fact that a few countries who came together to endorse Okonjo-Iweala shouldn’t be treated as if it was a whole African continent. “Actually it's a few countries in the Africa group led by Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria and Benin. Others like Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco have been skeptical. They are being “coerced” into admission,” he claimed. The process The Chair of the General Council will communicate the next steps in the appointment process in the coming days. The process was led by the General Council Chair in accordance with the WTO’s “Procedures for the Appointment of Directors-General.” The African Group initiated the appointment process of the DG earlier than anticipated. “Even though there was consensus in the meeting to expedite the process, the US and others were silent and had expressed concerns informally to the chair,” a trade expert based in Geneva said, preferring anonymity.
