October 5, 2020
The East African Community (EAC has endorsed Kenya’s Sports Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed for the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Director-General position.
In a letter dated October 4, Vincent Biruta, Chairperson of the EAC Council of Ministers, said the move follows a proposal by Rwandan President Paul Kagame who is the chairperson of EAC Heads of State.
“I would like to inform you that Ambassador Amina C. Mohamed is endorsed as the candidate of the East African Community to the post of Director General of the World Trade Organisation,” the letter addressed to EAC Ministers reads in part.
“I take this opportunity to wish all the best to Ambassador Mohamed for the next rounds of selection as the candidate of the East African Community.”
Amina, a former Kenyan ambassador to the WTO and the first woman to chair the WTO’s General Council in 2005, is considered a front runner in the race to replace Brazil’s Roberto Azevedo who is stepping down a year early.
Other candidates eyeing the position include Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Egypt’s Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh joined the race.
Others are Dr Jesús Seade Kuri (Mexico), Mr Tudor Ulianovschi (Moldova), Ms Yoo Myung-hee (Korea), Mr Mohammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri (Saudi Arabia) and Dr Liam Fox (United Kingdom).
WTO has three main functions: help negotiate multilateral trade deals, settle cross-border commercial squabbles and serve as a repository for members’ trade policies.
Agencies
