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Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), will visit Ghana on Tuesday, April 25, as part of her efforts to strengthen support for Sub-Saharan Africa. Throughout her two-day visit, she will engage with policymakers, business leaders, and civil society representatives to discuss how to make globalization work for Africa. She will also interact with female entrepreneurs and discuss with Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the Minister of Trade and Industry.
As the first woman and African to serve as Director-General of the WTO, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is a distinguished global finance expert, economist, and international development professional with over three decades of experience in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala expressed her enthusiasm about the trip, recognizing Africa’s pivotal role in the WTO’s membership. She also acknowledged the significant progress African economies have made in economic integration in recent years amidst the ever-changing global trade landscape.
Before her current role, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala served as the Chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and held positions on Standard Chartered PLC and Twitter Inc boards. She was twice Nigeria’s Finance Minister and briefly acted as Foreign Minister in 2006, making her the first woman to hold both positions. Her 25-year career at the World Bank saw her rise to Managing Director, Operations, overseeing the bank’s $81 billion operational portfolio in Africa, South Asia, Europe, and Central Asia. She spearheaded several initiatives to support low-income countries during the 2008-2009 food and financial crisis.
In 2010, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala chaired the World Bank’s successful drive to raise $49.3 billion in grants and low-interest credit for the world’s poorest countries. She is also renowned for being the first female and African candidate to contest for the presidency of the World Bank Group in 2012, backed by Africa and major developing countries in the first genuinely contestable race for the world’s highest development finance post.
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Source:Omanghana.com
