ISSUE 48/DEC2022 - Flipbook - Page 78
Africa’s Most Influential Women | EVERYDAY HEROES
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
NIGERIA
DIRECTOR GENERAL: World Trade Organisation
PUBLIC SERVICE: Global Leader
|
Powerhouse Economist
“
Investing in women is smart
economics, and investing in
girls, catching them upstream,
is even smarter economics.”
A pioneering tour de force and woman of
many firsts. Currently, she is the Director
General of the World Trade Organisation
(WTO), first woman and the first African
to hold the post. She was also the first
woman to serve as Nigeria’s finance
minister, the first woman and African
candidate to vie for the presidency of the
World Bank.
Director General of the WTO is one of the
highest profile and demanding jobs in the
world. The WTO deals with the global rules
of trade between nations, ensuring that
global trade flows smoothly, predictably
and freely as possible. That is the feat
Ngozi is taxed with, and all eyes have been
fixed on how she is navigating her first
year in this high profile office.
But with career that spans over 30 years as
an economist, a global finance expert and
an international development professional,
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New African Woman
l Dec 2022
she is able and since her appointment in
2021 in the midst of a pandemic that has
shaken global trade, it is safe to say her
expertise on trade and development issues
is invaluable.
And indeed, her track record speaks
for itself. She has brokered numerous
agreements that have produced winwin outcomes, and effectively engaged
governments and other stakeholders,
to build consensus around areas of
common global interest. At the NAW,
we are convinced the WTO is in a safe
pair of hands.
She is also an avid women’s rights and
empowerment advocate. She is on record
stating: “Investing in women is smart
economics, and investing in girls, catching
them upstream, is even smarter
economics.”
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