Okonjo-Iweala dedicates Forbes-CNBC recognition to Africa

Former Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has dedicated her recent recognition as 2020 African of the Year by Forbes-CNBC to Africa.

This award adds up to a long list of award picked by the development economist and former Managing Director of the World Bank.

Okonjo-Iweala expressed her delight at the recognition and dedicated the award to Africans facing the health and socio-economic challenges of Covid-19 during a very difficult year, reports PMNews Nigeria.

“It is a great honour to serve Africa in different capacities,” said Okonjo-Iweala, who was one of the African Union Special Envoys appointed to mobilize international support for Africa’s efforts to address the Covid-19 economic fallout.

According to PMNews Nigeria, the award comes weeks after her name was submitted as the World Trade Organisation’s Director General-designate – the candidate who has garnered the most support to head the organization.

But her appointment was blocked by Trump’s United States.

The WTO Council in reaction postponed deliberations on it ‘until further notice”.

Okonjo-Iweala served twice as Nigeria’s minister of finance.

She is also the World Health Organisation (WHO) Special Envoy for the newly inaugurated Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) accelerator and its offshoot the COVAX facility.

Okonjo-Iweala also serves as the Chair of the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.