The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, is set to visit Ghana today (Tuesday, April 25), as part of her efforts to reinforce support for Sub-Saharan Africa.
During her two-day visit, she will meet with policymakers, business leaders, and civil society representatives to discuss making globalisation work for Africa.
The visit will also include an interaction with female entrepreneurs and discussions with Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the Minister of Trade and Industry.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala expressed her excitement about the trip, stating that Africa is a crucial part of the WTO’s membership.
She also acknowledged that African economies have made significant strides in economic integration in recent years, amid a rapidly changing global trade landscape.
As the first woman and African to serve as Director-General of the WTO, Dr Okonjo-Iweala is a renowned global finance expert, economist, and international development professional, with over 30 years of experience in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America.
Before taking up her current role, Dr Okonjo-Iweala served as the Chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and held positions on the boards of Standard Chartered PLC and Twitter Inc. She also served twice as Nigeria’s Finance Minister and briefly acted as Foreign Minister in 2006, becoming the first woman to hold both positions.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala had a 25-year career at the World Bank, where she rose to the position of Managing Director, Operations, overseeing the bank’s $81 billion operational portfolio in Africa, South Asia, Europe, and Central Asia.
She spearheaded several initiatives to assist low-income countries during the 2008-2009 food crisis and the financial crisis.
In 2010, Dr Okonjo-Iweala chaired the World Bank’s successful drive to raise $49.3 billion in grants and low-interest credit for the world’s poorest countries.
She is also renowned for being the first female and African candidate to contest for the presidency of the World Bank Group in 2012, backed by Africa and major developing countries in the first truly contestable race for the world’s highest development finance post.
