Okonjo-Iweala Elected WTO Director-General, Makes Global History

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been elected as the Director-General (DG) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) following a stiff contest from South Korea's Yoo Myung-hee, and after the elimination of five other candidates in different stages.

Okonjo-Iweala's emergence as WTO Director-General makes her the first African to head the position, as well as the first woman to ever occupy the Director-General office of WTO since it was established in 1995.

Nigeria had replaced its initial candidate, Yonov Frederick Agah, with Okonjo-Iweala in July, and this decision was moved against by Egypt and the legal counsel of African Union (AU), as they claimed nomination period had ended, but the WTO said Okonjo-Iweala only needs the backing of Nigeria, and not AU.

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She was one of three Africans that contested for the position, the first being Egypt's Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh who was eliminated in the first round, while Kenya's representative, Amina Mohamed was dropped in the second round.

Days before Okonjo-Iweala was appointed, European Union threw their weight behind her, while there were reports that the United States wanted Myung-hee to become WTO Director-General. But multiple reports have now emerged that WTO delegates elected Okonjo-Iweala as WTO Director-General.