Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is poised to make history at the WTO – she faces a daunting inbox to deal with

The economist will have to persuade all stakeholders in the World Trade Organisation that it is a force for good, writes Hamish McRae

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala during a hearing before the World Trade Organisation (AFP via Getty)

First of all a welcome for Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who is almost certain to become the new head of the World Trade Organisation. She is a Nigerian economist who has spent most of her career at the World Bank in Washington, though interspersed with serving as the finance minister of Nigeria.

There is an obvious symbolism here, in that she is African (though she has recently also taken US citizenship) – a signal of the changing balance of power in the world, away from developed countries towards emerging ones. She is also the first woman to head the organisation. But it is superficial to focus on her background, or indeed her gender, because what matters to the world is that the WTO should be in good hands. Looking at her solid achievements at the World Bank and in Nigeria, we can be confident that it will be.

The WTO faces a number of interconnected problems, or rather world trade faces many problems and the WTO will play a crucial role in tackling them.