Breaking: Only one candidate now stands Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala ‘s way for WTO top job

From the remaining final five candidates contesting to emerges as Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is now in the last stage of contest.

Okonjo-Iweala who will now battle it out with South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee was Nigeria’s Minister of Finance.

Blueprint reports that The initial pool of eight candidates to replace Roberto Azevedo, who stepped down as WTO director-general in August – a year ahead of schedule, was narrowed down to five last month.

The three eliminated during the second round of “confessionals” – in which all member states confidentially voice their preferences – were Liam Fox of Britain, Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri of Saudi Arabia, and Amina Mohamed of Kenya.

Jesus Saede Kuri of Mexico, Tudor Ulianovschi of Moldova and Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh of Egypt were cut during the first round.

The WTO will likely have the first female director-general in its 25-year history as no woman has ever headed the global trade body.

Okonjo-Iweala, 66, served as Nigeria’s first female finance and foreign minister, and has a 25-year career behind her as a development economist at the World Bank, eventually becoming its number two.

She is also on the Twitter board of directors and is a special envoy for the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 fight.

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