It’s been almost 10 years since I sat down for coffee with Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala in Davos. A former World Bank VP and then Nigeria’s
finance minister, she was looking for assistance in what became, 15
months later, a $30 billion debt reduction deal with Nigeria’s bilateral
creditors. I’m proud that CGD played a role in securing a deal;
forgiving the debt of an oil-rich country burdened by corruption was
controversial and complicated (see Todd Moss’s April 2006 blog post
here).
A first step was more political than financial: persuading Nigeria’s
creditors in Europe that Nigeria was eligible for IDA status. At that
and every subsequent step during two rounds as finance minister
(including managing a reduction in Nigeria’s regressive fuel subsidies),
Minister Okonjo-Iweala’s contribution has been fundamental in her own
country’s struggle to become a better economy and democracy.
In the meantime, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has served as vice president and
then managing director under the last three presidents of the World
Bank, and in 2012 was a candidate for the presidency at the World Bank.
So it is a thrill for me that Ngozi is now joining CGD as a
distinguished visiting fellow. In the immediate future she will be
working on the challenge of deepening and broadening financial services
(credit, savings, insurance) for the world’s small farmers, bringing her
own extraordinary experience and economic savvy to that tough issue.
Welcome Ngozi!
We appreciate you for reading naijawapbase, but we think it will be better you like our facebook fanpage and also follow us on twitter below.
GET OUR HOT UPDATES DIRECTLY TO YOUR MOBILE PHONE BY TEXTING "FOLLOW Naijawapbase" to 40404
Title :
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Gets New Appointment… See here
Description : It’s been almost 10 years since I sat down for coffee with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in Davos. A former World Bank VP and then Nigeria’s fi...
Rating :
5