She was well on her way to becoming the first African woman to lead the World Trade Organization (WTO).

But the United States had to get involved.

Washington opposed, Wednesday, October 28, the appointment of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former Minister of Finance of Nigeria, at the head of the prestigious institution responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of international trade.

This 66-year-old woman may have the support of the 26 other delegations to succeed Brazilian diplomat Roberto Azevêdo, it was insufficient because it takes unanimity of the members to appoint the director of the WTO.

Still, Ngozi Okonjo-Iwealo seems to tick all the right boxes.

Impressive CV

First of all, she has the advantage of being African.

Since its creation twenty-five years ago, the WTO has been led by three Europeans, a Thai, a New Zealander and a Brazilian.

All were, moreover, men.

Opting for a representative of the African continent would send a strong signal.

Especially since the organization "did not facilitate the entry of Africa into world trade", recalled, at the end of September, the Bissau-Guinean economist Carlos Lopes to the World.

He underlined, in particular, the importance accorded by this institution to activities protected by intellectual property rights, which gives the advantage to Western countries to the detriment of States “which hold raw materials, even strategic ones like in Africa”.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala also has an impressive CV.

She studied at the most prestigious American universities, at Harvard then at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), then worked for more than 20 years at the World Bank.

There she was in charge of loans for poor countries, the organization's central mission.

She also has a proven track record in finance.

As minister in Nigeria, this economist succeeded, between 2003 and 2006, in negotiating the erasure of nearly three-quarters of a $ 30 billion slate, leaving her country with one of the highest debt-to-GDP ratios. weaker of the African continent.

She has another trump card up her sleeve: she is the chair of the board of directors of Gavi, the international alliance for vaccine development.

A title which, in this period of the Covid-19 pandemic, gives his candidacy an aura that goes beyond the simple framework of international trade.

The only downside is the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

As "minister, she may have adopted some reforms on transparency, but nearly a billion dollars disappeared each month from the state coffers when she was in charge of the finances", affirmed to the World Sarah Chayes, author of “Thieves of State”, a book on international corruption.

For this specialist, "it is a shame that she can even be selected for this role [of director of the WTO, editor's note]".

Washington's strange opposition

But it is not on this table that the United States attacked the candidacy of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Officially, Washington has singled out Nigeria's lack of experience in international trade.

The Trump administration prefers South Korean Minister of Commerce Yoo Myung-hee, the other finalist in the selection to become director of the WTO.

The World Trade Organization “is in dire need of in-depth reforms which must be carried out by someone who has real experience in the matter,” the Americans explained.

But this last-minute veto is surprising.

The Nigerian has been the favorite in this race for several months.

Other reasons have been put forward to explain the American opposition.

For some, Washington would push the candidacy of Yoo Myung-hee because of the trade dispute between him and Beijing, notes the Financial Times.

South Korea, a great ally of the United States in Asia and which has its own differences with its Chinese neighbor, would be more willing to support the American cause.

But some believe that this is just the umpteenth attempt by Donald Trump to destabilize an organization he has repeatedly criticized, underlines the Wall Street Journal.

In December 2019, Washington blocked the appointment of several judges to the dispute resolution chamber.

Thus, for nearly a year, this essential body for settling disputes between Member States has not had sufficient quorum to sit ... 

Appointing a new director is, however, much more urgent.

And the organization has already planned to meet again to overcome the American hurdle on November 9.

Either after the presidential election in the United States.

Another organization which must hope that Donald Trump is not re-elected.  

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