According to CEOAFRICA source  a key group of WTO ambassadors has proposed Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to lead the UN agency.

Recall that CEOFRICA reported that Okonjo-Iweala was chosen as the final candidate for the much-coveted role. She polled 104 votes from 164 member countries to defeat her South Korea’s trade minister at the final stage of the race.

She has broken many records, including becoming the first African to  that office at the WTO.

The recommendation of former World Bank managing director, was made by three WTO ambassadors, the so-called “troika”.

This followed their consultation with members in a series of closed-door meetings in Geneva as part of an intricate and opaque process that some have compared to a papal succession.

Her endorsement by this powerful group has cleared the path for her to become the first woman and African to head the global watchdog in its 25-year history.

The proposal, which still needs full WTO approval, caps a more than four-month selection process involving intensive lobbying which saw her square up against South Korean trade minister Yoo Myung-hee in the final round.

It still needs to be approved by consensus at a meeting of the WTO’s 164 members.

In the run-up to the DG chair, Okonjo-Iweala had the support of Trade Union Congress( TUC), Nigerian Government,  AU and on Tuesday, the EU also pledged support.