WTO Job: Okonjo-Iweala stands qualified despite AU, Egypt refusal

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

The World Trade Organisation  (WTO) has insisted that  Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is well qualified  to stand election as the Director General of the organization.

WTO took the stand despite the African Union’s disqualification of Okonjo-Iweala’s nomination, stating that Nigeria violated AU rules after replacing its initial candidate with Okonjo-Iweala.

AU in its report, stated that nomination closed in November, whereas Nigeria in June substituted its candidate for the job, Yonov Agah, with Okonjo-Iweala, action which it said invalidates her candidacy.

However, Nigeria, defended its decision to replace Agah with Okonjo-Iweala, stating that what it did wasnt nomination per say, but substitution of candidate, stressing that, no rule was violated as claimed by AU. The disagreement over Okonjo-Iweala stands even as AU members were not able able to agree on a single candidate.

AU had at its February 2020 ordinary session, moved to select a consensus candidate out of Africa,  but members didn’t agree on a single candidate, Egypt also submitted a candidate, Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh.

In a WTO Cable report, it stated that members have the right to submit a representative. Regardless of AU’s rule, all that is needed to contest for the Director General seat is for a candidate to have the backing of its country, not necessarily AU. So Okonjo-Iweala is qualified to contest.

Egypt had earlier in the month protested against Okonjo-Iweala’s nomination, stating it came late, in addition to AU’s reservation on her qualification, but WTO insisted that nomination period was still on and hasn’t closed,  that her nomination will be accepted.

According to the spokesperson for WTO, “Members shall have one month after the start of the appointment process to nominate candidates.  Nominations shall be submitted by Members only, and in respect of their own nationals.

“The candidates nominated shall then have three months to make themselves known to members and to engage in discussions on the pertinent issues facing the organisation.

“The remaining two months prior to the conclusion of this process shall be devoted to selecting and appointing one of the candidates,” the report said.