WTO DG Post: Okonjo-Iweala Obtains American Citizenship

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has taken American citizenship.

WTO DG Post: Okonjo-Iweala Obtains American Citizenship
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

Nigeria’s candidate for the position of Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has obtained American citizenship and joins other candidates who have dual citizenship.

This is coming after more than 30 years after the former two-time minister studied in the United States.

Reports show that Okonjo-Iweala actually took US citizenship in 2019 as she fought for the position of the director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

According to newsmen, most of the candidates battling for the position with the Nigerian boast of dual citizenship, which experts believe may boost their chances of getting the much-coveted job.

The other candidates for the position, such as Jesús Seade Kuri, is Mexican and Lebanese.

 

READ ALSO:

Nigeria's Speaker of Parliament visits Ghana to 'settle' retail trade issues



Also, Amina Mohamed, a Kenyan minister, is also Somali and Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh is both Swiss and Egyptian.

Nigeria’s former finance minister worked in the US for well over 25 years without taking up its citizenship.

However, this affected her when she ran for the president of the World Bank in 2012 because she was not backed by the US, losing the seat to Korean-American Jim Yong Kim.

The most recent support Okonjo-Iweala got was from Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote who said the global trade organization needs the skills and experience Ngozi-Okonjo possesses.

According to the businessman, Ngozi-Okonjo has the ability to mitigate the obstacles WTO faces.