ECOWAS Endorses Okonjo-Iweala for WTO DG

The Heads of State and Governments of the 15 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have endorsed the candidature of Nigeria’s two-term former minister and erstwhile Managing Director (Operations) of the World Bank, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for the position of the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The West African leaders made their position known in a statement signed by President of Niger, who is also ECOWAS President, Mahamadou Issoufou.

In the statement dated June 19, 2020, they also called on other African countries as well as non-African countries to endorse her candidature for the plum job.

“Since the creation of the WTO on January 1, 1995, which is a successor to the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) established on January 1, 1948, no African has assumed the position of Director-General of the organisation,” they added.

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