Benin drops its WTO candidate in support of Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

The Beninese candidate Éloi Laourou is no longer in the running to take over the post of Brazilian national Roberto Azevêdo as Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Benin, which announced the withdrawal of Laourou’s candidacy to its partners at the International Organisation of La Francophonie within the WTO in a letter dated 12 June, has also decided “to support the candidacy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the person of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.”

The news, expected to be formally made public early this week, was confirmed by a source within the Beninese government.

“We’ve reviewed the candidates and it’s clear that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has the best credentials to win the nomination for Africa once and for all,” the source said.

In the letter from the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Benin to the United Nations Office and other International Organisations based in Geneva, dated 12 June and addressed to the diplomats of OIF member states, the Beninese authorities insisted on this point.

Their decision, they wrote, “is inspired by the high sense of seeking consensus around a candidate which will be endorsed by the African Union.”

However, with the withdrawal of Laourou’s bid, a consensus has yet to be found. Besides Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala, two other African candidates are still in the running: Kenya’s Amina Mohamed and Egypt’s Abdel Hamid Mamdouh.