Editorial
On 1 March 2021, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria assumed office as Director General of the World Trade Organisation — the first woman and first African to hold the post. Educated at Harvard (AB Economics, 1977) and MIT (PhD, Regional Economics), she previously served as Nigeria’s first female Finance Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, and spearheaded negotiations that led to the forgiveness of US$30 billion of Nigeria’s debt. In 2012 she was the first female and Black candidate to contest the World Bank presidency. The WTO’s 164 members elected her by consensus on 15 February 2021. She faces major challenges including repairing the US-China trade war and restoring multilateral cooperation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. On behalf of all women across the globe we congratulate Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and wish her every success throughout her term of office.