Director General, World Trade Organization (WTO)
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). She is an economist and international development expert with over 30 years of experience. She was recently just reappointed as the director-general of the WTO for a second tenure to be effective from September 1, 2025.
Early Life
Her early life was influenced by her family’s prominence and her father’s leadership role in the community. She pursued her education in Nigeria before continuing her studies abroad, ultimately becoming a renowned economist and public figure.
Education
Okonjo-Iweala briefly attended Queen’s School, Enugu; she was later relocated to live and to further her education in St. Anne’s School, Molete, Ibadan, Oyo State; and also attended the International School Ibadan, Oyo State. She arrived in the US in 1973 to study at Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude with an AB in Economics in 1976.
She earned a master’s degree in city planning in 1978 and obtained her PhD in regional economics and development in 1981 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with the thesis Credit policy, rural financial markets, and Nigeria’s agricultural development. She received an international fellowship from the American Association of University Women (AAUW), which supported her doctoral studies. Since then, she has been awarded fifteen honorary degrees from other institutions around the world.
After receiving her doctoral degree, Okonjo-Iweala served for twenty-five years in the World Bank where she rose to the number two position as managing director of operations. In that post she supervised development projects and portfolios in Europe, Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia.
Personal Life
She is married to Dr. Ikemba Iweala, a neurosurgeon from Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria. They have four children. During her campaign to become the next Director-General of the WTO, it was revealed that Okonjo-Iweala became a US citizen in 2019 after spending several decades working and studying there. Given the ongoing trade tensions between China and the US, analysts commented that the disclosure would be a contributing factor in shaping China’s attitude towards her.
Career and Achievements
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala made history in Nigeria after being appointed the first woman and longest serving Minister of Finance for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. She was first appointed by President Olusegun Obasanjo (2003-2006) and again by President Goodluck Jonathan (2011-2015). She also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs between her two terms.
She previously served as a Managing Director of the World Bank where she had oversight responsibility for the World Bank’s operational portfolio in Africa, South Asia, Europe, and Central Asia.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala spearheaded several World Bank initiatives to assist low-income countries during both the food and later financial crisis. She chaired the replenishment of over $40 billion for the International Development Association (IDA), the grant and soft credit arm of the World Bank.
After receiving her doctoral degree, Okonjo-Iweala served for twenty-five years in the World Bank where she rose to the number two position as managing director of operations. In that post, she supervised development projects and portfolios in Europe, Africa, Central Asia, and South Asia.
She is a profound economist who, on March 3, 2021, was sworn in as the first woman and first African director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Okonjo-Iweala is the seventh Director-General of the World Trade Organization.
In her position, she is a spokesperson for the WTO and is instrumental in facilitating trade negotiations, and settling disputes between member nations. Her term of office will end on August 31, 2025. She was recently just reappointed as the director-general of the WTO for a second tenure to be effective from September 1, 2025.
When Okonjo-Iweala was serving her second term under President Jonathan, she received death threats and suffered the kidnapping of her mother (who was later released by kidnappers).
Despite this adversity, due to her reform programs, and work as finance minister, Okonjo-Iweala is credited with helping grow the Nigerian economy, which has recently overtaken South Africa as the largest economy in Africa.
She was Chair of the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (2016 – 2020), the African Risk Capacity (2014 – 2020) and Co-Chair of The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. Previously, she served as Senior Advisor at Lazard and sat on the Boards of Standard Chartered PLC and Twitter Inc. Dr Okonjo-Iweala was appointed as an AU COVID-19 Special Envoy and WHO COVID-19 Special Envoy.
References:
- Wikipedia, wikipedia.org: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
- World Trade Organization, wto.org: WTO | Director General: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
- The Rockefeller Foundation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
- Britannica, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala | Biography, WTO, World Bank & Facts.
- World Bank Live, worldbank.org: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
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[30/11, 2024]
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