Egypt’s Mamdouh: ‘I am the only WTO candidate supported by AU’

07/08/2020

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Mourad Kamel | The Africa Report

After Benin withdrew from the race for head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Nigeria finally nominated Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to represent it, Egyptian lawyer Abdel Hamid Mamdouh says he is the AU’s only legitimate candidate for the WTO leadership.

Secretary of the Council for Trade in Services, then Senior Adviser in the Services Division and finally Director of the Services and Investment Division… Abdel Hamid Mamdouh spent a total of twenty years in the corridors of the WTO, of which he joined at its inception in 1995.

Today, at the age of 67, this lawyer by training is one of the African candidatesvying for the top seat at the organisation following the resignation of Brazilian Roberto Azevêdo.

After Nigeria changed its candidate, settling with its nomination of former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Benin opting to withdraw from the race to support the latter, Egypt believes it has been dealt a strong set of cards in this tight race.

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