African
Union finance leaders on Monday unanimously endorsed Nigeria’s Minister
of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy to lead the World Bank
and urged an open merit-based process to select the next head of the
global financial institution.
“Dr. Okonjo-Iweala’s impeccable
credentials, including depth and breadth of knowledge, rich and varied
experience, make her eminently qualified and the best candidate for the
post of World Bank President,” the African Union said in a statement.
Reuters reported that the
endorsement came following a meeting in Addis Ababa, of Finance,
Planning and Development ministers from across Africa led by Ethiopian
Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi.
Okonjo-Iweala had earlier in the day warned
that emerging economies must be given a fair shot at leading the
institutions or they would end up going their own way.
“The balance of power in the world has
shifted and emerging market countries are contributing more and more to
global growth – more than 50 per cent – and they need to be given a
voice in running things,” she told Reuters in an interview, adding, “If you don’t, they will lose interest.”
Okonjo-Iweala, 57, was nominated on Friday
by Nigeria, South Africa and Angola to lead the poverty-fighting
institution when its current president, Robert Zoellick, steps down in
June.
Also nominated for the post are Jim Yong
Kim, a Korean-American health expert, whose name was put forward by
United States President Barack Obama on Friday, and former Colombian
Finance minister, Jose Antonio Ocampo, who was nominated by Brazil.
It is the first time the post has ever been so hotly contested.
No comments:
Post a Comment