Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

First African woman to lead WTO and champion global vaccine equity

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala made history in 2021 as the first woman and first African to become Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Her groundbreaking leadership focused on equitable distribution of新冠 vaccines, negotiating agreements that enabled technology transfer to boost global vaccine production. Her efforts directly contributed to over 2 billion doses being distributed to low-income countries by 2023.

As Nigeria's Finance Minister from 2003-2015, she pioneered debt relief programs that erased $18 billion of Nigeria's external debt. In her current role, she established the WTO's Covid-19疫苗知识产权豁免倡议 which remains a cornerstone of global health policy. Her 2022 report Trade and Health: A New Global Framework》 redefined international cooperation frameworks.

Okonjo-Iweala's advocacy for women's economic empowerment led to the creation of the African Girls Education Initiative in 2020. She has been featured in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People》 twice and holds degrees from Harvard and MIT. Her memoir Reforming the World Bank》 details her transformative policies in global finance.