WTO Secretary-General Nigerian Candidate "Supported by 79 Countries"

Okonjo-Iweala "Secured Support from Half of African and Latin American Member Countries"
In Final Contest with Director General Yoo Myung-hee

Yoo Myung-hee, Chief Trade Negotiator of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, who challenged for the position of WTO Director-General, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the candidate from Nigeria [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The Nigerian candidate running for the position of Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) claimed that the number of countries that have officially expressed support for him amounts to about half of the member states.

According to AFP on the 16th (local time), Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said in a virtual press briefing, "All African countries are behind me," and that Caribbean countries and others have also expressed their support. He further stated that 79 countries have officially declared their support for him.

Candidate Okonjo-Iweala advanced to the final round of the WTO Director-General election along with Yoo Myung-hee, head of the Trade Negotiations Division at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

He previously served as Nigeria's Minister of Finance and Minister of Foreign Affairs and worked at the World Bank for 25 years, earning a high international reputation.

The WTO plans to conduct a final preference survey on the two candidates among its 164 member countries from the 19th to the 27th and aims to elect the next head no later than the 7th of next month.

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