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Nigeria ’s Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala is facing opposition by the United States, as the consensus candidate to lead the World Trade Organisation .
Report has it that key WTO ambassadors tapped Okonjo -Iweala on Wednesday as the best pick to lead the organisation .
However, the US said it supported South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung -hee , who is Okonjo -Iweala ’s opponent in the race to lead the WTO .
WTO spokesman, Keith Rockwell , was quoted by AFP as saying 27 delegations had taken the floor during Wednesday ’s meeting .
“One delegation could not support the candidacy of Dr. Ng0 zi and said they would continue ( supporting ) South Korean minister Yoo. That delegation was the United States of America ,” he added .
Rockwell , however , said Wednesday ’s meeting “was never intended to make a final decision on our next DG.”
“That decision can only be taken by the General Council ,” he added .
With the US’ opposition , the WTO ’s 164 member states still need to determine whether they will support her before their next General Council meeting on November 9 .
Earlier report had it that the troika of ambassadors heading the World Trade Organization ’s three main branches determined after four months of consultations with member states that Okonjo -Iweala was the most likely to obtain the consensus needed to take the top job .
The initial pool of eight candidates for the WTO ’s top post had been whittled down to just two over two previous rounds of consultations, with only Okonjo -Iweala and Myung -hee left in the race .
Okonjo -Iweala , 66 , who served as Nigeria ’s first female finance and foreign minister , has a 25 -year career behind her as a development economist at the World Bank .
“I feel the wind behind my back ,” she told a virtual press briefing after the 55 – member African Union officially supported her .
Okonjo -Iweala , who also serves on Twitter ’s board of directors , as chair of the GAVI vaccine alliance and as a special envoy for the World Health Organization ’s COVID – 19 fight , saw her candidacy get another boost this week when the EU threw its weight behind her.
If she eventually gets a majority backing, she would be the first woman and the first African to lead the global trade body in its 25 – year history.
Fatimah Oyesanmi
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