WITH RESPECT to the credentials of the successor, there appears to be agreement among WTO members that the next Director-General should have a political background as opposed to a technical or diplomatic background.
There is agreement among African countries and other WTO members on this issue that a person with a strong political background is needed to succeed Roberto Azevedo as the next WTO Director-General.
The view that it is Africa's turn to provide the next leader of the WTO has a lot of sympathy among several developing and developed countries, especially considering that the other two Bretton Woods institutions are headed by developed countries.
While it would be easy for China to reject demands by a developed country Director-General, who would be seen as a proxy for the United States, it is more likely to cave in to demands by an African Director-General.
IT WOULD ONLY be fair if the next WTO Director-General came from Africa, as Asia and Latin America in the developing world have already had their turn.
