The World Trade Organization (WTO) has re-elected Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to a second term as its Director-General. The 70-year-old Nigerian’s reappointment was approved unanimously at the organization’s General Assembly, held behind closed doors on Friday. Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and African to hold the position, took office unopposed. Their victory coincided with the return of Donald Trump and his disregard for international trade rules. According to the international organization’s official statement on the matter: African countries called for a fast-track process to allow for the next WTO ministerial meeting, scheduled to be held in Cameroon next year. Okonjo-Iweala’s current term ends in August 2025.
An AFP news agency source revealed that support for Okonjo-Iweala’s second term was overwhelming “because everyone loves Ngozi.” The source added that members are “concerned that if she doesn’t return, the Washington administration may slow things down (or) block other candidates.”
Urgent reappointment amid post-Trump concerns
In 2020, Donald Trump blocked Okonjo-Iweala’s nomination for months, forcing her to wait until President Joe Biden moved into the White House and took office in early 2021.
And Keith Rockwell, a senior fellow at the Heinrich Foundation, said the process was expedited because “they did not want the Trump team to step in and veto it like they did four years ago.”
Rockwell, a former WTO spokesman, said speeding up Okonjo-Iweala’s reappointment “certainly creates tensions with the U.S. There would have been tensions under any circumstances, but now the risks are heightened.”
The WTO came under attack several times during President Trump’s first term, weakening the WTO’s appeals system for dispute settlement. He also threatened to withdraw the United States from the organization altogether.
Moreover, President Trump has already signaled that he is preparing for an all-out trade war. He threatened to impose targeted tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico on his first day in office on January 20.
