*Says Obaigbena among Africa’s most creative persons 

*Commends newspaper

Sunday Ehigiator

Following her nomination by THISDAY Newspaper as the 2024 ‘Woman of the Year’ in recognition of her exceptional leadership and strategic vision for the future of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which also saw her reappointment for a second term, the Director General of the global trade body, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was yesterday presented with the ‘Woman of the Year’ award.

The award was presented to Okonjo-Iweala at an event on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
The presentation event marked the first phase of the award ceremony, organised as part of the newspaper’s 30th anniversary, themed, ‘When the Going Gets Tough… the Tough Get Rewarded.’ The commemoration ceremony which is the second phase is scheduled to hold on January 27, 2025, at Eko Hotels and Suits, Victoria Island, Lagos State Nigeria.

Presenting the award to the WTO boss, the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of THISDAY and ARISE News Channel, Nduka Obaigbena, described Okonjo-Iweala as “an uncommon African who is carrying the African flag around the world showing that the African century is upon us.”

“To the glory of God, it is an honour and privilege in Davos today, to present on behalf of the audiences of ARISE News Channel around the world and readers of THISDAY Newspapers in commemorating our 30th anniversary, to present our 2024 ‘Woman of the Year’ award to an uncommon African, who is carrying the African flag around the world, showing that the African century is upon us. It is a privilege to present our 2024 Woman of the Year award to the head of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.”

In her acceptance speech, Okonjo-Iweala described her recognition as the woman of the year by THISDAY as a very special development. She also recalled that she was once a recipient of the THISDAY Award while she was Nigeria’s Finance Minister.

“Thank you so much to the indomitable Nduka Obaigbena, who is one of the most creative people I know on the continent. I want to thank you for taking the trouble in this very cold weather to present me with this award. I’m very grateful to THISDAY for this recognition and to all the audiences who have supported this.

“This is not the first time I’ve received a THISDAY award. When I was finance minister you also recognised me as finance minister of the year. But this is very, very, very special and I promise you I don’t take it lightly.
“I’ll continue to do my best to try and represent the country and the continent the best way I can and to make sure that the dividends of development also flow our way.”

Okonjo-Iweala was nominated in recognition of her exceptional leadership and strategic vision for the future of the WTO which saw her recent reappointment for a second term.
She is the first woman and first African to serve as Director-General of the WTO. She has been consistently praised by members of the global trade body for her outstanding leadership at the Geneva-based organisation.
Her reappointment for a second-term highlighted the strong support for her efforts to enhance the WTO’s relevance and capacity in addressing the evolving challenges of global trade.

Amid significant global economic challenges, she strengthened the WTO’s ability to support its members and set a forward-looking agenda for the organisation. Her leadership was instrumental in securing meaningful outcomes at pivotal moments, including the 12th and 13th Ministerial Conferences (MC12 and MC13), where major milestones were achieved.
She has displayed a strong commitment to ensuring that the WTO remains responsive, inclusive, and results-driven.

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