Nigeria's Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was appointed Monday to head the World Trade Organization, becoming the first woman and first African to take on the role. She has been Nigeria's finance minister and, briefly, foreign minister, and has had a 25-year career at the World Bank. 66-year-old Okonjo-Iweala said in a statement that her first priority would be quickly addressing the economic and health consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. The appointment came after U.S. President Joe Biden endorsed her candidacy, which had been blocked by former President Donald Trump. 164 countries make up the WTO, which deals with the rules of trade between nations.