Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala is Forbes 2020 African of the Year
It read, “The 2020 African of the Year award honouree is ….Congratulations to Dr.@NOIweala! Board Chair @Gavi, Board Chair @ARCapacity, gracing the cover of @forbesafrica
Okonjo-Iweala confirmed the news via her Twitter handle saying, “Thrilled to be named @forbesafrica CNBC 2020 African of the Year following in the footsteps of my great brothers @PaulKagame and @akin_adesina. This ward is for fellow Africans suffering the health and economic impact of Covid-19. The energy and resilience of Africans inspires me. ”
Okonjo-Iweala won the award on the back of remarkable service to the continent, especially for pushing equal distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine in Africa. This objective forms the mandate of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) whose board she sits on.
In addition, she is now running unopposed to be the first woman to lead the World Trade Organisation after the withdrawal of South Korean candidate from the race. A feat believed to impact Africa positively in matters relating to trade and investment.
Forbes Africa, through its digital issue for December, described the winner “as the continent’s most promising citizen, leading transformation and change on an international stage this year. ”
The former Finance Minister of Nigeria now joins the coveted list of past winners of the prestigious award.