As much as 58 members countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have backed a proposal from the African Group for the Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala continue for a second term of four years.
This was announced in a statement released by the WTO on its website on Monday.
The statement said the 58 WTO members expressed their support during a meeting of the WTO General Council on July 22.
They endorsed the African Group's call for an early start to the Director-General selection process and requested Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to be available for a second term.
"Fifty-eight WTO members took the floor at a 22 July meeting of the WTO General Council to voice support for a proposal from the African Group calling for an early start to the Director-General selection process and asking the incumbent, Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, to make herself available to serve a second term," the statement read in part.
The statement further highlighted those 58 members, including several representing groups, who voiced their comments and support for the African Group's proposal.
They urged DG Okonjo- Iweala to declare her intentions for a second term as soon as possible, with many praising her hard work and achievements during her first term.
DG Okonjo-Iweala expressed her gratitude for the members' support, saying: "Everything that I've accomplished, we've accomplished together."
She acknowledged the members' call for her to seek a second term, indicating that she was favourably inclined and promised to inform them of her decision soon
General Council Chair Petter Ølberg (Norway) recognized the unanimous, broad, and strong support for both DG Okonjo-Iweala's availability for a second term and the immediate start of the reappointment process. He assured that he would engage with delegations in the coming days and weeks
The African group had presented a proposal at its general council to re-elect Okonjo-Iweala.
Adebayo Thomas, spokesman for the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment who disclosed this said in a statement, noted that the proposal is for members to consider Okonjo-Iweala to run for another term as chief executive officer of the organisation.
He said the proposal was also to enable the chair of the general council to commence the process of the appointment of the director-general as soon as possible.
Abdulhamid Adamu, Nigeria’s permanent representative to WTO at the council, said, “All members pointed to all the efforts and qualities of Okonjo-Iweala and her contributions to the organisation, which enhanced a lot of progress and development. They all affirmed that she deserves to be reappointed as the director-general. All the members in the meeting from all regions that took the floor, almost 58 members, supported the proposal.”
He added that members resolved that the general council chair should start consultations on the appointment process as soon as the council approves it.
Okonjo-Iweala thanked all members and assured them that she would respond with her acceptance after consultation with family members as soon as possible.
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