The Chronicle of Ngozi Okonji Iweala –What You Need to Know
Mass media outfits worldwide love news or stories associated with Ngozi Okonji Iweala. Because, in this case, the news is truly the person. Her standard in life matches with the pictures painted of her in public. For this great woman’s portfolio, countries, organisations, newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations herald her. She has been named […]
Mass media outfits worldwide love news or stories associated with Ngozi Okonji Iweala. Because, in this case, the news is truly the person. Her standard in life matches with the pictures painted of her in public. For this great woman’s portfolio, countries, organisations, newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations herald her. She has been named over and over again as not just formidable but supreme. Dr. Ngozi Okonji Iweala is proficiency in human form.
In a country of structured and overt corruption, Ngozi Okoji Iweala is an icon of excellence.
Unlike many Nigerian political figures, transparency, accountability and social responsibility are her roots. The achievements and heights she has attained in her country and beyond cannot be defined, they have become insurmountable. Even in the whirlwind of danger, she maintained her clean path.
Dr. Iweala took her social responsibility part very seriously that she divulge vivid facts and prospects to the world in her book Fighting Corruption is Dangerous :the Story Behind the Headlines.
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a Nigerian-American economist and international development expert.
She is 66 year old.
A citizen of Nigeria and The United States
One of the 50 Greatest World Leaders -2015
Top 100 Most Influential People in the World -2014
Top 100 Global Thinkers -2011-2012
Top 100 Most Powerful Women in the World -2011-2014
Top 10 Most Influential Women in Africa -2012
With numerous recognitions, over 20 awards and 7 Honorary Decrees.
Author of 4 prominent books and two Articles.
She was born in Nigeria on 13 June 1954 in Delta State, Ogwashi-Ukwu.
She was born royal and her father was a Professor of Economics.
Her early education was at Queen’s School, Enugu, St. Anne’s School, Molete, Ibadan and International School Ibadan.
She travelled abroad to study Economics in Harvard University in 1973 and graduated with an AB in 1976.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology was her next for PhD in 1981. She studied Regional Economics and development with a thesis titled Credit policy, rural financial markets, and Nigeria’s agricultural development. Receiving an international fellowship from the American Association of University Women (AAUW)
She is married to Ikemba Iweala, a neurosurgeon from Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria and they have four children together.
Okonjo-Iweala served for 25 years at the World Bank.
And as a Development Economist in Washington DC, rising to the number 2 position of Managing Director.
Minister of Finance, Nigeria –2003-2006.
Okonjo-Iweala served on the Growth Commission between 2006 and 2009.
Okonjo-Iweala spear-headed several World Bank initiatives to assist low-income countries between 2008-2011
She chaired the IDA replenishment, the World Bank’s successful drive to raise $49.3 billion in grants and low interest credit for the poorest countries in the world.
Minister of Foreign Affairs -2006
In 2011, Okonjo-Iweala was re-appointed as Minister of Finance in Nigeria with the expanded portfolio of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy by President Goodluck Jonathan.
She served twice as Nigeria’s Finance Minister and was the first female to hold both positions in Nigeria and the world.
During her first term as Minister of Finance under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, she spear-headed negotiations with the Paris Club that led to the wiping out of US$30 billion of Nigeria’s debt, including the outright cancellation of US$18 billion.
In 2012, she was a candidate for President of the World Bank,
Her mother was kidnapped and released -2012.
She introduced the practice of publishing each state’s monthly financial allocation from the Federal Government of Nigeria in newspapers.
In December 2014, she aided the IPPIS platform eliminate 62,893 ghost workers from the system and saved the government about $1.25 billion in the process.
She empowered women and youth with the Growing Girls and Women in Nigeria Programme (GWIN)
She served in The United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel between 2012 and 2013.
She co-chaired the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation.
Since 2014, she has been co-chairing the Global Commission for the Economy and Climate with Nicholas Stern and Paul Polman.
She is a member of the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity -2015–2016
In January 2016, she was appointed the Chair-elect of the Board of Gavi.
Okonjo-Iweala is the founder of Nigeria’s first indigenous opinion-research organisation, NOI-Polls in 2017.
Okonjo-Iweala became a US citizen in 2019.
Since 2019, Okonjo-Iweala has been part of UNESCO’s International Commission on the Futures of Education.
Okonjo-Iweala was unanimously appointed as the next director-general on 15 February 2020.
She became the 7th Director-General of the World Trade Organisation in 2021.
Dr. Ngozi Okonji Iweala is a member of 19 Non-profit Organisations, 6 International organisations, 4 Corporate Boards and 1 international government agency.
She is the mother of a renowned author.
