After weeks of intense anticipation and anxiety, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala finally emerged as the first female director-general in the 25-year history of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
A statement by the WTO earlier today said Okonjo-Iweala, one-time Finance Minister in Nigeria, was confirmed DG of the trade body , after her close challenger, South Korean Trade Minister and candidate, Yoo Myung-hee, announced her withdrawal last week.
The United States government had last week announced its endorsement of Mrs Okonjo-Iweala for the top job.
Last October, the World Trade Organisation selected Mrs Okonjo-Iweala and Ms Yoo to advance to the final round in the race to lead the Geneva-based trade body.
Mrs Okonjo-Iweala was Nigeria’s finance minister during the tenures of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan. She has experience working at international governance bodies as a former managing director of the World Bank and as a chairman at the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization.
**With Agency reports