FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Nigerian economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was appointed on Monday last to head the World Trade Organization (WTO), becoming the first woman and first African to take on the role amid rising protectionism and disagreement over how the body decides cases involving billions in sales and thousands of jobs.

Okonjo-Iweala, 66, was named director general by representatives of the 164 countries that make up the WTO, which deals with the rules of trade between nations based on negotiated agreements.

She said during an online news conference that she was taking over at a time when the WTO “is facing so many challenges, and it’s clear to me that deep and wide-ranging reforms are needed… it cannot be business as usual.”

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/business-observer/okonjo-iweala-is-first-woman-african-to-lead-world-trade-body_214963