WTO: Okonjo-Iweala applauds Buhari as she gets cleared for final round

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, one of the two final candidates for the World Trade Organization genera director, has applauded Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari after she made it to the final round of the selection process.

“Happy to be in the final round of the @wto DG campaign,” the former Nigerian finance minister tweeted on Thursday.

“Thanks, WTO members for your continued support of my candidacy. I could not have made it without the prayers and support of all Nigerians and friends around the world. Thank you @MBuhari and all my friends. Aluta continua,” she added.

The third and final phase of the consultation process would begin later this month and run until November 6, after which the WTO would name a consensus winner of the race.

Okonjo-Iweala made it to the final round with a rival from South Korea, Yoo Myung-hee.

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.

Ms Yoo, on her part, is South Korea’s trade minister. She has helped expand her country’s trade network through bilateral accords with the U.S., China and the UK.

The WTO may be having its first female director-general in its 25-year history.

WTO’s General Council Chairman, Mr. David Walker, is expected to formally announce the results to the institution’s delegates in Geneva on Thursday.

United Kingdom’s Liam Fox, Kenya’s Amina Chawahir Mohamed Jibril, and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri did not secure enough support in the second round of consultations, Bloomberg reported.