Diplomacy & Public Service
Distinguished
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
born 1954
First woman and first African to lead the World Trade Organization
Distinguished is level 3 of 4 in the Nigeria Hall of Fame: sustained excellence over a career, widely honoured at home. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
She took office in 2021 as the World Trade Organization's seventh Director-General, the first woman and the first African to hold the post.
Born in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, in June 1954, Okonjo-Iweala built a career of more than forty years in economics and international development across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, including two terms as Nigeria's finance minister and a long period at the World Bank.
She became Director-General of the WTO on 1 March 2021.
She became Director-General of the WTO on 1 March 2021.
- World Trade Organization — Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
- WTO — History is made: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala chosen as Director-General
- Britannica — Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
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