Nigeria's Ahunna Eziakonwa Takes Helm as UN's New Africa Adviser

In a significant development, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has announced the appointment of Nigeria's Ahunna Eziakonwa as the new Special Adviser on Africa. Eziakonwa, who takes over from Cristina Duarte of Cabo Verde, brings an impressive wealth of experience to her new role, having spent nearly three decades in various leadership positions within the United Nations. As the current UN Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator, and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa at the United Nations Development Programme, she has been instrumental in overseeing the organisation's support to 46 African countries in their pursuit of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the African Union's Agenda 2063. With her extensive experience spanning the full breadth of UN work in Africa, Eziakonwa has served as UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator, and UNDP Resident Representative in three countries, including Ethiopia, Uganda, and Lesotho. Her expertise has been further honed through her work as Chief of the Africa Section at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in New York, where she managed humanitarian operations across 15 African countries. Prior to joining the UN, Eziakonwa held positions in several African civil society organisations, and she holds a Master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University, New York, USA, and a Bachelor of Arts in Pedagogy, English, and Literary Studies from the University of Benin, Nigeria. Eziakonwa's linguistic skills include fluent Yoruba, working knowledge of French, and her native Igbo and English. The UN Secretary-General has expressed gratitude to Cristina Duarte for her commitment and dedicated service to the Organisation.