As Africa has never had a World Trade Organization representative, the Continent hopes to have a fair opportunity.
There are eight running candidates, three of whom are Africans. The former Kenyan Minister, Amina Mohamed, who has also chaired a number of boards as an ambassador for Kenya to the WTO. For the second time, she has been named Director-General.
The Egyptian Hamid Mamdouh is well familiar with the WTO, where he has been working for 20 years.
Okonjo-Iweala from Nigeria has more than thirty years of construction and finance experience. From 2007 to 2011 she was the World Bank’s Managing Director.
The selection process is to take a few months, while the World Trade Organization will opt for interim leadership.
During the global economic downturn triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, several big initiatives are waiting for the future World Trade Organization boss: to plan for the Ministerial Conference in 2021, and, more importantly, to restart dialogue with the United States.
Inputs from Africanews
