Latest news with #NgoziOkonjoIweala
Zawya
3 days ago
- General
- Zawya
Afri Diplomat to host ‘The Summit of Women in Global Diplomacy' in Abuja
The Pan-African magazine that spotlights the diplomatic missions of African nations within Africa and diaspora, Afri Diplomat ( has concluded plans to host women of African descent in global diplomacy at Fraser Suites Abuja, on the 5th of July, 2025. The summit which is an advancement of its 'Women In Diplomacy' edition recently released with 'Power List 50 Women In Global Diplomacy', will be held under the theme 'Deepening Inclusive Diplomacy'. The event will serve as conversational convergence and platform for formal recognition of purposely and meritoriously selected honorees of 'Power List 50 Women of African Descent In Global Diplomacy'. Some of the honorees of Nigerian extract include Amb. Judith Seffi Attah; first female permanent secretary of the Ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs, lifetime envoy of UNESCO and first Minister of Women Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Minister of Foreign Affairs for States, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; DG of World Trade Organization, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa; Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Dr. Amina J Mohammed; Deputy Secretary General of United Nations, Ms. Adefunke Adeyemi; Secretary General of African Civil Aviation Commission, Zuriel Oduwole; Nobel Peace Prize Nominee. Some of the women of African descent from other parts of Africa, on the Power List are Ms. Dagmawit Moges Bekele; Former Deputy Mayor of Addis Ababa, Minister of Transportation and current DG of African Union Peace Fund (Ethiopian), H.E. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey(Ghanaian); former Minister of Foreign Affairs Ghana and current Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations, H.E. Mia Motley; Prime Minister of Barbados, Lerato M. Mataboge (South African); African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure&Energy, Dr. Marit Kitaw; Interim Director of AU's African Minerals Development Centre, H.E. President Ndemupelila Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah; Former Foreign Minister and First Female President of Namibia, H.E. Epsy Campbell Barr; First Black VP of Costa Rica&UN IDFPAD Chairperson, Dr. Condolezza Rice; First Female National Security Adviser&First African American Secretary of State, Amb. Selma Malika Haddadi; Deputy Chairperson of African Union, Kamina Johnson Smith; First Female Foreign Minister of Jamaica etc. The event is expected to be headlined by H.E. Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, The Minister of Foreign Affairs for States and H.E. Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, the Honorable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development. According to organizers, the summit will recognize and celebrate the difference women make in the field of diplomacy. It will be advocacy platform for stressing the need for inclusion of more women in key decision making positions. 'To put things in perspective and without having to travel far, there are more than a hundred foreign ambassadors on foreign missions to Nigeria, but only 8 of them are women. This goes to show the need for some gender balancing act in the world of diplomacy. This is why we are doing this', Sòókò Deji Ajomale-McWord, Editor-In-Chief said while explaining the rationale behind the event. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afri Diplomat. About Afri Diplomat: Afri Diplomat is a 3-year old multimedia that amplifies the diplomatic missions of African nations and their diaspora. It is published by Diplomacy Publishing&Events, organizers of The Diplomatic Games Week and The Trade Relations Cup/The Trade Commissioners' Summit&Exhibition. Afri Diplomat is accredited by Nigeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs while The Diplomatic Games Week has the endorsement of the ministry.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
WTO Chief ' Very Encouraged' on China-US Trade Truce
WTO Director Generral Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says she's 'very encouraged' by the easing of US-China tensions and calls for further progress, observing that the contraction in global goods trade contraction is already lessening. She spoke to Bloomberg's Chief North Asia Correspondent Stephen Engle on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in Jeju, South Korea. Sign in to access your portfolio
NHK
14-05-2025
- Business
- NHK
WTO head expresses concerns over US tariff impact on global economic growth
The head of the World Trade Organization has welcomed the agreement between the United States and China to reduce their tit-for-tat tariffs, while expressing concerns over the impact of the US tariff policy on global economic growth. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala spoke to NHK in Tokyo on Wednesday. On Monday, the US and China said they agreed to cut additional tariffs on each other by 115 percentage points, following their trade talks in Switzerland. Okonjo-Iweala described the move as a "positive outcome," saying that the US and China have established a good communication channel, the result of which was the announcement by the two countries. Okonjo-Iweala said a decoupling of trade between the US and China could lead to fragmentation of world trade, which would have quite severe consequences for global economic growth. She expressed concerns that if the world trading system fragments into two blocs, up to 7 percent of global GDP could be lost in the longer term. The WTO chief also noted that many countries do not want to be made to choose one side or the other. She said that they want good relations so they can trade with both sides. Okonjo-Iweala stressed the importance of free trade, saying that globalization has helped lift many countries into prosperity, and brought 1.5 billion people out of extreme poverty over the past three decades. At the same time, she noted that the WTO faces challenges such as the uneven distribution of wealth and widening disparity. The director-general is advocating the concept of "reglobalization" to address the issues. It involves deconcentrating supply chains to benefit countries or areas that have not benefited so far. She said it kills two birds with one stone, as a more resilient world system will be built and those left behind will be included.
BreakingNews.ie
13-05-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
World trade chief says global free trade is in a crisis while on visit to Japan
Global free trade is in crisis, the head of the World Trade Organisation said while meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), told Mr Ishiba that she has high expectations for Japan as a champion of open markets, as US President Donald Trump disrupts world commerce with his fast-changing tariffs and other policies. Advertisement 'Trade is facing very challenging times right now and it is quite difficult,' she said. 'We should try to use this crisis as an opportunity to solve the challenges we have and take advantage of new trends in trade.' Japan, as 'a champion of the multilateral trading system', must help maintain, strengthen and reform the WTO, the Japanese Foreign Ministry cited her as saying. Later Tuesday, the WTO chief met with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and issued a joint statement, saying that 'in a time of uncertainty and disruption, the value of the multilateral trading system is unquestionable'. Japan said in the same statement that the current trade turmoil 'would have a significant impact on the global economy and the entire multilateral trading system' and called for promoting WTO reforms, including its rule-making function, dispute settlement and monitoring of the implementation of agreements. Advertisement They met a day after the United States and China said they had agreed to slash recent sky-high tariffs for 90 days to allow time for negotiations. Japan is among many countries yet to reach a deal with the Trump administration on hikes to US tariffs, including those on autos, steel and aluminium. The WTO played a pivotal role in past decades as the US and other major economies championed the trade liberalisation that facilitated the growth of global supply chains, many of which are anchored in China. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told Shigeru Ishiba that she has high expectations for Japan as a champion of open markets (Kazuhiro Nogi/Pool Photo via AP) By dismantling many protectionist barriers to trade, it has aided the ascent of Japan and China, and many other countries, as export manufacturing hubs. Advertisement Since taking office for a second time, Mr Trump has prioritised higher tariffs to try to reduce US imports and compel companies to locate factories in the United States, doubling down on a trade war that he launched during his first term. Ms Okonjo-Iweala and Mr Ishiba agreed that WTO member countries should unite to restore the organisation's capacity to address challenges. The trade chief visited Japan to strengthen co-operation between the east Asian country and the WTO to maintain and reinforce the multilateral trading system, Japanese officials said. She also met with Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato and Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto. Advertisement
Asharq Al-Awsat
13-05-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
World Trade Chief Says Global Free Trade is in a 'Crisis'
Global free trade is in crisis, the head of the World Trade Organization chief said Tuesday while meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shigaru Ishiba on Tuesday. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organization, told Ishiba that she has high expectations for Japan as a champion of open markets as US President Donald Trump disrupts world commerce with his fast-changing tariffs and other policies. 'Trade is facing very challenging times right now and it is quite difficult,' she said, according to The Associated Press. 'We should try to use this crisis as an opportunity to solve the challenges we have and take advantage of new trends in trade.' Japan, as 'a champion of the multilateral trading system' must help maintain, strengthen and reform the WTO, the Japanese Foreign Ministry cited her as saying. They met a day after the United States and China said they had agreed to slash recent sky- high tariffs for 90 days to allow time for negotiations. Japan is among many countries yet to reach a deal with the Trump administration on hikes to US tariffs, including those on autos, steel and aluminum. The WTO played a pivotal role in past decades as the US and other major economies championed the trade liberalization that facilitated the growth of global supply chains, many of which are anchored in China. By dismantling many protectionist barriers to trade, it has aided the ascent of Japan and China, and many other countries, as export manufacturing hubs. Since taking office for a second time, Trump has prioritized higher tariffs to try to reduce US imports and compel companies to locate factories in the United States, doubling down on a trade war that he launched during his first term. The two leaders agreed that WTO member countries should unite to restore the organization's capacity to address challenges. Okonjo-Iwaela was visiting Japan to strengthen cooperation between Japan and the WTO to maintain and reinforce the multilateral trading system, Japanese officials said.
