USA Backs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala For WTO Job Published 2 months ago 0share The United States government has formally communicated its support to Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to lead the World Trade Organization. Okonjo-Iweala will be the first woman and the first African to run the Geneva-based trade body. “Dr. Okonjo-Iweala brings a wealth of knowledge in economics and international diplomacy,” the office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in a statement Friday. “She is widely respected for her effective leadership and has proven experience managing a large international organization with a diverse membership.” The USTR added it “looks forward to working with a new WTO director-general to find paths forward to achieve necessary substantive and procedural reform of the WTO.”