Okonjo-Iweala receives FARA Leadership Award for contributions to Africa

The Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has received the FARA leadership award for her contributions to agricultural science, technology, and innovation in Africa.

Okonjo-Iweala who currently serves as the seventh Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is the first woman and first African to lead the organization.

She is noted for being a strong advocate of agricultural research and development, agricultural productivity, and increasing access to food for African farmers and consumers.

Reiterating her commitment to using trade to help African farmers, she urged stakeholders to ensure that everyone has access to nutritious food.

By strengthening agricultural productivity sustainably, Africa can make better use of its untapped potential including its arable land and freshwater resources.”

Okonjo-Iweala concluded her address by calling for a renewed commitment to fighting hunger and malnutrition in the world, stating that negotiators must place “people in Africa and elsewhere at the centre of their efforts to ensure that trade contributes to a dynamic sustainable and equitable food and agricultural sector in the months and years to come”.

Also, Dr Okonjo-Iweala as an advocate of trade and open markets played a key role in the creation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).