Go get them, Ngozi! You deserve this

It is official. From March 1, Dr Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala will be the new Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). She will be the first woman and first African to lead the intergovernmental organisation that deals with trade rules.

It has been a long journey for Ngozi, who faced a bump when the Trump administration declined to support her until the Biden-Harris administration quickly acted and joined the consensus to support her.

Ngozi takes over the WTO amid a global pandemic that has shaken the global economy and disrupted international trade. She is taking over an organisation plagued by nationalism and protectionism, against the background of the relentless US-China trade wars. Her priority is to see “how trade and the WTO can play a stronger role in bringing solutions to the Covid-19 pandemic, both on the health side but also on the economic side,” she told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.

She will focus on good trade rules that will “allow access and equity for vaccines for therapeutics and diagnostics”.

African jewellery

As we celebrate this big win, a few things come to mind.

First is the simple but profound fact that Ngozi is extremely proud of her identity and heritage. It does not matter who she is meeting, you will always see Ngozi dressed to the nines in her signature African headgear, tailored African attire and African jewellery.

For a Harvard and MIT-trained economist with accent coaches at her disposal, Ngozi has maintained her distinct Nigerian accent. This is Ngozi’s statement to the world. A very clear message that “This is me. This is who I am. I am African, I am Nigerian and proudly so.”

Slow down

For me, it is Ngozi’s authenticity and that undeniable true-to-herself attitude that makes her so relatable and likeable.

At 66 years, Ngozi is not about to stop or slow down. For a young woman in her early 30s, it is extremely encouraging to know that these things take time and success can be achieved at any age. In the case of Ngozi, though, success and ambition are not time or age-bound. At 30, she was a successful career woman, as she is at 66.

So many lessons there, including the fact that sometimes it is never really about the money or the power that comes with these big jobs, but about service. Service to your country, to your continent and to the world.

The most important thing I have observed about Ngozi is her down-to-earth attitude and sheer humility. For a heavy-hitter like her with a lot to be arrogant about, Ngozi seems surprisingly modest and easygoing.

Meanwhile, Ngozi’s confirmation gives me and a friend—also a big fan of Ngozi—an excuse to meet up this afternoon to discuss her new book with Julia Gillard, Women and Leadership, over some juicy rib-eye steaks, done medium well, of course.

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