Nigeria’s Candidate For WTO DG Election - Buhari Nominates Okonjo-Iweala - Liberty TV/Radio - News - Voice For All! Vision For Alll!
Publisher (J.T)
June 5, 2020
President Muhammadu Buhari confirmed the nomination on Thursday in an official announcement through the Nigerian Embassy and Permanent Mission to the African Union (AU) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In the diplomatic note to inform all member countries’ embassies and permanent missions, President Buhari said he was communicating Nigeria’s decision to withdraw the candidacy of Yonov Frederick Agah for the election.
He did not disclose the reasons for the withdrawal of Mr Agah’s candidature. Mr Agah is currently one of the four deputy directors-general of the WTO. He was first appointed deputy director-general October 1, 2013. He was reappointed for a second four-year term on October 1, 2017. His tenure runs out on October 1, 2021.
The President said Mrs Okonjo-Iweala would serve as Nigeria’s Candidate for the term 2021 – 2025 at the elections scheduled for in Geneva, Switzerland in 2021.
A renowned global finance expert, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, is an economist and international development professional with over 30 years experience, having worked in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America.
She is currently the Chair of the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; a member of the Boards of Standard Chartered PLC and Twitter Inc, and was recently appointed as African Union (AU) Special Envoy to mobilise International Financial Support in the fight against COVID-19, as well as Special Envoy for the World Health Organization  Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator.
Twice Nigeria’s Finance Minister (2003-2006) and (2011-2015), Mrs Okonjo-Iweala also served briefly as Nigeria’s Foreign Minister in 2006, the first Nigerian woman to hold both positions.
She had a 25-year career at the World Bank as a development economist, rising to the position of managing director (operations).
As finance minister, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala steered Nigeria through a varying degree of reforms, particularly on macroeconomic, trade, financial and real sector issues.