Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister who also has US citizenship, took office in 2021 as the first woman and first African to hold the job of WTO chief …reports Asian Lite News
The World Trade Organization chief said Friday she’s “eager” to work with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his trade team, while taking a wait-and-see stance about Trump’s plans to impose new tariffs on goods from other countries including China, Mexico and Canada.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala made the comments to reporters after member countries handed her a second four-year term, in a vote with no opposition.
The Geneva-based trade body’s future is clouded by Trump’s looming return to power in January in the U.S., home to the world’s single biggest economy, because his pledges to slap unilateral tariffs on foreign goods entering the country could face challenges at the WTO.
“I think that I look very much forward to working with President Trump — with all the new people who will be appointed,” she said. “I’m eager for it.”
While Trump before his first term threatened to pull the U.S. out of the WTO, Okonjo-Iweala said there’s a “general recognition that the organization needs to be supported” and pointed to U.S. interests in intellectual property protections and product safety fostered by the trade body.
“The WTO and its rules underpin 75 to 80% of global goods trade,” she said. Okonjo-Iweala expressed hopes to help strike a deal in the WTO that would phase out $22 billion in “harmful subsidies” in the fisheries industry that raise worries about damage to ocean fish stocks.
During his first term, the Trump administration largely bypassed WTO rules by imposing tariffs on steel and other goods from countries including China and even U.S. allies.
On Monday, Trump vowed sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada, as well as China, as soon as he takes office as part of his effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs.
Trump said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, as one of his first executive orders.
Such tariffs, if imposed, could face a challenge through the WTO’s dispute resolution process, though its body that hears appeals is not operating — largely because of U.S. unwillingness to let new members be appointed to it.
Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister who also has U.S. citizenship, took office in 2021 as the first woman and first African to hold the job of WTO chief. Her second term will officially begin next September.
“Until we get specifics in terms of what is planned, I think it would be a bit premature to try to pronounce on these issues,” she said, referring to Trump’s plans. “I think we should wait … for actual policies,” Okonjo-Iweala said. “And we’re very much looking forward to working in a productive fashion.”
The WTO’s 166 members take decisions by consensus, meaning that any one country can block them.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, congratulated Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on her reappointment as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) for a second term.
In a post on the social media platform, X, Ghebreyesus said, “Congratulations, my sister @NOIweala! The trust @wto Member States have invested in you is well deserved. Looking forward to continuing our close collaboration”.
In a press statement, The WTO announced, “The General Council of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed on 29 November by consensus to reappoint Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Director-General for a second four-year term, set to begin on 1 September 2025. This decision reflects broad recognition of her exceptional leadership and strategic vision for the future of the WTO”.
It was noted that the reappointment process, initiated on October 8, 2024, was overseen by Ambassador Petter Olberg of Norway, Chair of the General Council.
According to the WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala first assumed office as Director-General on March 1, 2021, becoming the first woman and first African to lead the WTO. Her first term concludes on August 31, 2025. Her reappointment highlights the strong support for her efforts to enhance the WTO’s relevance and capacity in addressing the evolving challenges of global trade.
On her reappointment, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala thanked the members and highlighted the challenges she plans to address in the next four years.
“While the WTO faces a significant number of challenges and has a heavy workload to accomplish, it is also confronted by new opportunities which, if it can be seized, could make a world of difference in the lives of the ordinary people that members are here to serve, and would also make a difference in preserving and sustaining our planet”, she said.
She also added, “My vision for the next four years is a WTO that delivers results by working on legacy agreements and other issues, focuses on reforms to make it fit for purpose for the 21st century and seizes exciting new opportunities in world trade”.
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