A few days ago, Nigerian-American economist Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was appointed to lead a 164-nation World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva.
As the first woman and first African to hold the post of Director-General, she now has the daunting task of encouraging her members to resolve their differences, alleviate post-pandemic trade, and through reform, restore her relevance.
This will not be easy because over the past few years the WTO has been riven by disagreement and on some issues, moribund. This is because its members have been reluctant to resolve key issues around subsidies, digital commerce, state initiatives and even what makes up a developing country. He has also suffered a devastation of his role in resolving trade disputes as the Trump Administration, in pursuit of a trade advantage, blocked World Trade Organization judicial appointments and unilaterally imposed punishments and tariffs against those who saw it as economic or political enemies.