U.S. tells WTO meeting it does not back Nigerian candidate as WTO chief

The United States has told a meeting of the World Trade Organization on Wednesday that it does not back Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the next WTO leader, despite cross-regional support for her, two sources at the meeting told Reuters.

The move could undermine the global trade body as it seeks to select a successor to director general Roberto Azevedo, who stepped down in August. A key group of WTO ambassadors had proposed Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the next chief, but any such decision requires a consensus among the 164 WTO members, meaning any of them could block her appointment.