Two African women are still in the race to become the next leader of the World Trade Organization.
Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Kenya’s Amina Mohamed have made it to the next phase of the selection process.
Egypt’s Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh has been knocked out of the running along with candidates from Mexico and Moldova.
The two Africans left in the race will now join candidates from South Korea, the UK and Saudi Arabia for the next round.
At the start of the process Africa had three of the eight candidates vying for the top job.
Many African diplomats are pushing for an African to be at the helm of one of the world’s top economic institutions.
No African has held the top job at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, making the push for an African to occupy an equivalent position crucial for the continent.
The WTO sets the rules for global trade and adjudicates in trade disputes between nations.
It is also, according to its website, supposed to “open trade for the benefit of all”.
The leader of the Geneva-based organisation attends G7 and G20 meeting and can broker disputes between world leaders.
The next leader of the WTO is expected to take office in November this year.
Source: Africafeeds.com
