Last week, former Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala became the first woman and first African Director-General of the World Trade Organization.
“What [the WTO] needs is someone who has the capability to drive reform, who knows trade and who does not want to see business as usual. And that is me,” she said.
Dr. Ngozi has a few firsts under her belt in addition to this appointment - she also became the first woman to serve as both the Nigerian finance minister in 2003 and foreign affairs minister in 2006.
Okonjo-Iweala is also a special envoy for the World Health Organization on COVID-19. She stated that upon assuming her Director-General position on March 1st, her top priority will be to address the COVID-19 pandemic, urging countries to lift export restrictions on medical items that have lead to “unconscionable” disparities in vaccine rates between rich and poor countries.
You Might Also Like:
⭐️ Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: "If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough."
🚀 Kamala Harris: "Dream with ambition, lead with conviction."
Please sign in
If you are a registered user on Laidlaw Scholars Network, please sign in