WTO - The African Mirror

May

04

2024

NEW UNITED NATIONS REFORMS MUST FAVOUR THE GLOBAL SOUTH

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

ABBEY MAKOE THE rise of the Majority World, or global south, in world politics has triggered pertinent issues in relation to the archaic nature and form of the UN system. And, Secretary-General of the UN Antonio Guterres summed it absolutely spot-on when he recently delivered a frank appraisal of the UN in this day and age. “We cannot solve 21st century problems with 20th century tools,” he said. The UN system has been grossly undermined by the stranglehold of the Western-led unipolar international world order. The UN Charter effected at the end of WW11 in 1945 sought to create a world that…

Sep

09

2022

By The African Mirror

WTO head Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: how trade can help beat inequality

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

IN a recent study South Africa was identified as ranking first of 164 countries in the World Bank’s global poverty database. Underlying this inequality is its very high rates of unemployment. Professor Dori Posel spoke to World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala about why trade is important in tackling joblessness and inequality. And her experiences of fighting corruption in Nigeria. Author DORRIT POSEL, Professor in the School of Economics and Finance, University of the Witwatersrand Professor Posel: You’ve said that the WTO is all about people. How do we ensure that global trade reduces inequality both between…

Mar

01

2021

By The African Mirror

History-maker Okonjo-Iweala “ready to go”

NEWS

EMMA FARGE THE World Trade Organization's first female and first African director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala began work today, ending a six-month leadership void at the global trade watchdog. After a long campaign that was derailed in the late stages by a Trump administration veto, the 66-year-old Nigerian was finally confirmed as boss last month, pledging to "forget business as usual" at the body which is struggling to strike new deals and whose arbitration functions are paralysed. "It feels great. I am coming into one of the most important institutions in the world and we have a lot of work to do.…

Jul

24

2020

By The African Mirror

Okonjo-Iweala fits the bill to be the new head of the WTO

BUSINESS

MILLS SOKO, Professor: International Business & Strategy, Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand MZUKISI QOBO, Head: Wits School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand THE next director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will replace Brazilian Roberto de Azevedo, who has served since 2013 and plans to step down at the end of August, a year before the conclusion of his term. Of the eight candidates who have thrown their hats into the ring, three are from Africa. They are the former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; the former Kenyan foreign minister Amina Mohamed, who also previously served as…

Jul

21

2020

By The African Mirror

Kenyan emerges as one of early WTO frontrunners

BUSINESS

EMMA FARGE KENYA's candidate to the World Trade Organization's (WTO) top post said she is seeking Washington's backing and expressed some sympathy with its criticism of the global body as she emerges as one of two reform-minded African female frontrunners. Amina Mohamed told Reuters a closed-door vetting session last week went "really well" as she outlined her platform to steer the body out of crises from global trade tensions and rising protectionism to a COVID-induced dive in business. Delegates say Mohamed, a 58-year-old minister and former WTO chair, is one of the favourites alongside Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to replace Brazil's…

Sep

30

2020

By The African Mirror

‘WTO should play role in COVID-19 medicine access’

COVID-19

EMMA FARGE A key contender to head the World Trade Organization thinks the body should play a role in helping poorer countries access COVID-19 drugs and vaccines, and this topic should be part of negotiations if she wins. Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, seen by delegates as a top candidate to lead the WTO, currently chairs the GAVI vaccine alliance board and stressed her credentials among five remaining candidates "at the intersection between public health and trade". "Trade can contribute to public health - seeing that connection, invoking those (WTO) rules, actively discussing COVID-19 issues and how WTO can help," the former…

Sep

20

2020

By The African Mirror

Two African women in final five for WTO leadership race

BUSINESS

EMMA FARGE THREE women, two of them from Africa, advanced to the second round of selection to become the next director-general of the World Trade Organization as the field was cut from eight to five, the Geneva-based body has announced. The WTO is looking for a new director-general to replace Brazilian Roberto Azevedo, who stepped down a year earlier than expected at the end of August. The 25-year-old trade body has never had a leader who is female or from Africa. The five to go through to the next round are Kenyan minister Amina Mohamed, former Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi…

Oct

05

2020

By The African Mirror

India and South Africa ask WTO to waive rules to aid COVID-19 drug production

NEWS

INDIA and South Africa want the World Trade Organization (WTO) to waive intellectual property rules to make it easier for developing countries to produce or import COVID-19 drugs, a letter to the WTO shows. In their letter dated October 2 the two countries called on the global trade body to waive parts of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which governs patents, trademarks, copyright and other intellectual property rules globally. "As new diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines for COVID-19 are developed, there are significant concerns (over) how these will be made available promptly, in sufficient quantities and…

Nov

06

2020

By The African Mirror

Africa‌ ‌rallies‌ ‌behind‌ ‌Okonjo-Iweala‌ ‌for‌ ‌top‌ WTO ‌job‌

BUSINESS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER THE African Union (AU) has come out strongly in support of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, whose appointment as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has been supported by the majority of WTO member states. Nigerian Dr Okonjo-Iweala has emerged as the only candidate proposed for endorsement by the WTO general council on November 9. If elected, she will become the first African to hold the post. However, the US has opposed the appointment of the former finance minister of Nigeria and an executive at the World Bank. AU Chairperson Cyril Ramaphosa said the AU stood behind…

Oct

27

2020

By The African Mirror

Restrictions in trade to contain COVID-19 have been devastating for Africa’s urban poor

BUSINESS

ASTRID R.N. HAAS, Policy Director, International Growth Centre VICTORIA DELBRIDGE, Head of the Cities that Work initiative, International Growth Centre Trade routes have been significantly disrupted this year in efforts to contain COVID-19. The effects of this are already showing: global growth is set to contract by 4.9% and growth in sub-Saharan Africa will contract by 3.2%. This will get worse if continued restrictions further impede trade. The World Trade Organisation has warned that at worst, global trade could collapse by a third this year, and at best, it will contract by 13%, similar to the recorded drop after the…