Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). She is currently newsworthy due to her warnings about the severe disruption facing the global trade system. According to recent reports, Okonjo-Iweala stated that the world is experiencing the worst trade disruption in 80 years, exacerbated by the conflict in the Middle East and rising protectionism. She emphasized that the international trade order has been irrevocably changed and that the multilateral system is at risk of collapse if reforms are not agreed upon. The WTO recently held a crunch meeting during its 14th ministerial conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon, to address these challenges. While some progress was made, such as an agreement on e-commerce among 66 member countries, the overall system faces significant uncertainty and requires urgent reform to avoid further deterioration.