Africa’s richest man, founder and chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has given tremendous support to the former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, by endorsing her to be voted for as Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
On Twitter today, Dangote says there’s no one better suited for the task than his compatriot.
He supported her by saying ” In these challenging times WTO needs the renowned skills and tested experiences of Ngozi Okonjo Iweala to lead the organisation through identified obstacles and strengthen its position as the prime facilitator of international trade.”
“A vote for her by all is a step in the right direction. I fully endorse the candidate of Ngozi Iweala to lead”. He added by pleading for the votes of his people.
Okonjo-Iweala, 66, is vying for the position of the director-general which has just been vacated by Brazil’s Roberto Azevedo.
President Muhammadu Buhari nominated Okonjo-Iweala for the position on June 5, 2020, while withdrawing the candidacy of Nigeria’s permanent representative to the WTO, Yonov Frederick Agah.
The new WTO chief will be tasked with managing the trade war between China and the United States, initiate reforms in the face of rising protectionism and steer the world to new trade pastures in the face of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Even though she was criticised of not having enough direct trade experience, Dangote felt that she is the best for the position.
The new WTO shared her achievement her negotiating skills, including a deal to cancel billions of dollars of Nigerian debt under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“Over my long career I’ve managed to build relationships and platforms at levels high enough to be able to dialogue with the right people,” she said.
“The problems are very deep and challenging but there are not insoluble,” Okonjo-Iweala said, stressing the need for reform.
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala a graduate with an A.B. magna cum laude in Economics from Harvard University and holds a PhD in Regional Economics and Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a development economist and a former Finance Minister of Nigeria.
The renowned economist named by Fortune magazine as one of the 50 greatest world leaders in 2015, and by Forbes for five consecutive years as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world has been serving as a Board Chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, since 1 January 2016, Rockefeller Foundation and the Center for Global Development and many more. She is also currently a senior adviser at Lazard. She has also held several key positions at the World Bank, including as Managing Director.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala is currently a senior adviser at Lazard and serves on the boards of the Rockefeller Foundation and the Center for Global Development, among others. She is also the chair of African Risk Capacity, a specialised agency of the African Union to help member states prepare for and respond to extreme weather events and natural disasters.
Time magazine recognised her as one of the world’s 100 most influential people.
is not only an economist but also an author several books including Reforming She
Recognised by Time magazine as one of the world’s 100 most influential people, the economist has several books to her credit including the Reforming the Unreformable: Lessons from Nigeria, published in 2012.
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