The Heads of State and Governments of the 15 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have endorsed the candidature of Nigeria’s two-term former minister and erstwhile Managing Director (Operations) of the World Bank, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for the position of the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The West African leaders made their position known in a statement signed by President of Niger, who is also ECOWAS President, Mahamadou Issoufou.

In the statement dated June 19, 2020, that was obtained by newsmen on Monday, they also called on other African countries as well as non-African countries to endorse her candidature for the plum job.

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“Since the creation of the WTO on January 1, 1995, which is a successor to the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT) established on January 1, 1948, no African has assumed the position of Director-General of the organization,” they added.

Recall, on June 4, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the nomination of Okonjo-Iweala, former coordinating minister for the economy, for the top WTO Post. 

ECOWAS called on other African countries to back Okonjo-Iweala, who Issoufou referred to as a “fearless reformer”.