In February 2021, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala was appointed as the first woman Director General of World Trade Organisation. She belongs to which of the following countries?
- (a)Nigeria
- (b)South Africa
- (c)Kenya
- (d)Ethiopia
Correct — A, Nigeria. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, appointed on 15 February 2021 (she took office on 1 March 2021), became the first woman and the first African to serve as Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). She is a Nigerian economist — a former Finance Minister of Nigeria and previously a Managing Director at the World Bank.
- (b)South Africa — Wrong country — Okonjo-Iweala is Nigerian, not South African.
- (c)Kenya — Wrong country — she is not Kenyan; she is from Nigeria.
- (d)Ethiopia — Wrong country — she is not Ethiopian; she is from Nigeria.
The WTO, headquartered in Geneva, administers global trade rules and settles trade disputes; it is led by a Director-General. In 2021 Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria became its seventh DG — the first woman and the first African to hold the post — after the other finalist withdrew. Her selection was a milestone in the leadership of major multilateral institutions.
The question hands you the person and asks only for her country, and every option is an African state — that is the trap. Anchor it: Okonjo-Iweala = Nigeria (former Nigerian Finance Minister). She also holds US citizenship, but she 'belongs to' Nigeria.
- Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala — first woman and first African Director-General of the WTO.
- Appointed 15 Feb 2021; took office 1 March 2021.
- Nigerian economist; twice Finance Minister of Nigeria; former World Bank Managing Director.
- The WTO is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Guessing another African country because all four options are African states.
- Confusing the WTO (trade) with the WEF, IMF or World Bank.
UPSC/UPPSC current affairs: 'first woman/first African to head X', or linking an international office-holder to their country or organisation.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is headquartered in:
- (a)New York
- (b)Geneva
- (c)Vienna
- (d)Paris
Answer(b) Geneva, Switzerland.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, appointed WTO Director-General in 2021, had earlier served as a Managing Director at which institution?
- (a)International Monetary Fund
- (b)World Bank
- (c)Asian Development Bank
- (d)African Development Bank
Answer(b) the World Bank — where she was a Managing Director before leading the WTO.