Okonjo-Iweala named to two key international positions

Former minister of finance and coordinating minister for the economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has accepted two key international positions.

The first is to serve as chair of the 28-member Board of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), an international public-private partnership committed to saving the lives of children and protecting people’s health by improving access to immunisation in developing countries, including Nigeria.

Okonjo-Iweala was elected to the position after a competitive international search process, according to a press release signed by Paul Nwabuikwu, media adviser to Okonjo-Iweala.

GAVI is a $12 billion multilateral partnership, which disburses grants of upwards of $1.8 billion annually to developing countries for immunisation programmes.

GAVI brings together developing countries and donor governments, the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry in both industrialised and developing countries, research and technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other private philanthropists.

It would be recalled that, from 2000-2015, GAVI disbursed $425 million in grants to Nigeria, an average of about $30 million per annum for vaccination and immunisation of children, including polio vaccines.

Okonjo-Iweala succeeds Dagfinn Høybråten, a former Norwegian minister of health and current secretary general of the Nordic Council of Ministers as chair of GAVI.

Meanwhile, the second appointment is as Senior Advisor to the highly respected 167-year-old global investment firm, Lazard. Her focus will be sovereign advisory.

“We are proud to welcome Dr. Okonjo-Iweala as a Senior Advisor to our world-leading sovereign advisory group,” said Matthieu Pigasse, Global Head of M&A and Sovereign Advisory of Lazard, saying “she will bring a unique international expertise and experience that will benefit both our sovereign and corporate clients.”

At Lazard, Okonjo-Iweala will work alongside colleagues including former Prime Minister of Australia, Paul Keating; former special adviser to President Bill Clinton, Vernon Jordan; former Spanish Economy Minister and current senior managing director at Lazard, Rodrigo de Rato; former chair of NASDAQ, Frank Zarb; former Finance Minister of Chile, Andres Velasco; and former British Minister of Parliament/Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell.

In her reaction to the two appointments, Okonjo-Iweala who will be working out of Paris, Geneva and London said: “I am excited to be embarking on this fresh journey. The two appointments will enable me to continue doing what I know best – rendering public service and using my financial and economist skills. I thank the international community for the recognition and continued support. I am also grateful for the prayers and support of many Nigerians.”