GENEVA, 16 February, 2021 (TON): Former Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been appointed by the World Trade Organization (WTO)  as the new director-general.

Ngozi now becomes the first woman and also African to lead the Switzerland-based institution.

On Monday when WTO had a special general council meeting, her appointment came.

Her appointment came after the WTO had a special general council meeting on Monday.

After the South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee, pulled out, U.S. President Biden strongly supported her candidacy.

The 66 years old, has a 25-year career behind her as a development economist at the World Bank and served as her country's first female finance and foreign minister.

Even before the pandemic shook globally, the WTO was already grappling with stalled trade talks and struggling to curb tensions between the United States and China. The global trade body has also faced relentless attacks from Washington, which has crippled the WTO dispute settlement appeal system and threatened to leave the organization altogether. However, Okonjo-Iweala has made the hopes high with her statement on her broad experience in championing reform and considers her the right person to help put the WTO back on track.