WTO Reappoints Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Director-General for Second Term

The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has been reappointed for a second term, according to a unanimous decision by the organization’s 166 members, including the United States, setting the stage for a possible showdown with US President-elect Donald Trump.

The organization announced in an official statement that members today agreed to extend the term of Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian economist who took office in March 2021, as the first woman and the first African to lead the organization.

Her second term will officially begin on September 1, 2025, after the first ended on August 31 of the same year, as the decision was taken during a special meeting of the General Council.

The African group requested that her reappointment be accelerated, considering that this would allow the organization to better prepare for the next ministerial conference scheduled for late 2025 or early 2026, amid questions about the impact of this move if Trump wins the presidency.

As she begins her new term, Okonjo-Iweala faces major challenges amid a stalemate in new agreements and rising trade tensions between the world’s largest economies.

Trump, who will begin his second term in January 2025, has signaled his intention to raise tariffs on all $3.1 trillion in US imports, going beyond international trade commitments, and has threatened to impose steep tariffs on imports from China, Canada and Mexico for immigration and trade reasons.

Okonjo-Iweala’s relationship with Trump has been strained in the past, with his team opposing her as director-general during his first term.

However, her nomination was later supported after Joe Biden won the presidency in 2020.

Okonjo-Iweala’s second term gives her the opportunity to continue the reforms she has initiated to strengthen the role of the WTO amid ongoing trade disputes between member states, including the United States, China, the European Union and India.