What I’ll do if elected OPCW DG – Amb. Ajayi
A former Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Dr Eniola Ajayi, has rolled out what she would do differently if elected the first female Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The Federal Government recently nominated Ambassador Ajayi for the position of Director-General of the organisation. The battle for the top position […]
A former Nigerian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Dr Eniola Ajayi, has rolled out what she would do differently if elected the first female Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
The Federal Government recently nominated Ambassador Ajayi for the position of Director-General of the organisation.
The battle for the top position is between Africa and the Eastern European group, with each side having four candidates.
The final appointment will be made at the Thirtieth Session of the Conference of the States Parties in November 2025, with the new Director-General officially taking office on 25 July 2026, when the current term ends.
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While speaking with journalists over the weekend, Ambassador Ajayi, who was once Nigeria’s permanent representative to OPCW, said she would ensure the universality of the convention if elected.
“My vision for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, there are quite a lot, but I’ll mention a few. The first one is what we call the universality of the convention. What do I mean? There are currently 193 countries accredited to the OPCW.
“The only four countries that are not in the OPCW are Israel, Egypt, South Sudan and North Korea. What I intend to do is ensure that all countries of the world sign up to the convention, thereby achieving a universal convention.
“The other one is that there are some outstanding dossiers, like the Syria dossier. They’ve declared some chemical weapons, but we’ve not concluded the work in that area of verification. I intend to ensure a timely and efficient conclusion to that particular dossier,” she said.
The former ambassador to Hungary with concurrent accreditation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia said she would also ethically deploy artificial intelligence while serving as DG of the OPCW.
“The fourth thing is budgeting. I’ll ensure that the budget is smart and fit for purpose. What I’m saying is that the budget of the organisation will be fit for purpose. We take care of the new phase of the organisation and the emerging threats that could occur in the future,” she said.
Dr. Ajayi also said her leadership would ensure diversity and gender equity in the organisation with more women’s representation and representation across geopolitical groups.
“Now, we live in a very polarised world. I will see how I can be a bridge builder, bringing everybody together to focus on the core reason why the convention came about in the first place. Which is to rid the world of chemical weapons.
“So that chemical weapons will not be used by anyone at any time and anywhere in the world going forward. So, I would ensure that there’s proper collaboration. There’s less polarisation within the organisation.