Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala confirmed as sole candidate for WTO Director-General
This was confirmed by Ambassador Petter Ølberg of Norway, Chair of the General Council, who informed WTO members on November 9 that no further nominations for the position of Director-General had been received by the deadline of November 8.
The incumbent Director-General, Okonjo-Iweala, is therefore the only candidate for the role.
Okonjo-Iweala confirmed her intention to serve a second four-year term in the role in a letter to the Chair on September 16.
On October 8, the WTO formally commenced the process for appointing its next Director-General, with members given until November 8 to submit nominations.
First Woman and African Leader
Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister and World Bank Managing Director, made history by becoming the first woman and African to lead the organization when members appointed her in March 2021. In a tight race, she outperformed other African candidates—Egypt’s Abdel Hamid Mamdouh and Kenya’s Amina Mohamed—thanks to her extensive global leadership experience.
The Race
The tenure of the current Director-General ends in August 2025.
The African Group, an informal coalition that advocates for African interests at the WTO, wrote to the General Council in July to support Okonjo-Iweala’s reappointment.
“The African Group is of the view that it would be in the best interest of the Organisation if the process of reappointment were to start early for a number of reasons,” Chad, currently leading the group, wrote to the General Council.
The African Group highlighted Okonjo-Iweala’s successful leadership, citing achievements at two ministerial conferences (2022 and 2024), and advocated for continuity to build on these results at the next conference in 2026.
