UN Appoints Nigeria’s Ahunna Eziakonwa Special Adviser on Africa

The United Nations has appointed Nigerian diplomat Ahunna Eziakonwa as its new Special Adviser on Africa. The appointment was announced on Friday by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who selected Eziakonwa to take over from Cristina Duarte of Cabo Verde, who is leaving the position after serving the organisation.

The appointment places Eziakonwa in a key role within the United Nations, where she will provide guidance on issues affecting the African continent and support the organisation’s engagement with African countries.

Eziakonwa brings almost 30 years of experience within the UN system to her new assignment. She currently serves as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa at the United Nations Development Programme.

In that role, she oversees programmes and development efforts across 46 African nations, helping countries pursue the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 development plan.

Since taking up that position in 2018, she has been involved in shaping policies and programmes aimed at improving economic growth, governance and development across Africa.

Throughout her career, Eziakonwa has held several senior positions within the United Nations. She previously worked as a UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Ethiopia, Uganda and Lesotho. In those countries, she coordinated development projects, humanitarian activities and engagement with governments and other stakeholders.

She also served as Chief of the Africa Section at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in New York. In that capacity, she supervised humanitarian operations in 15 African countries and worked during critical periods in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Her experience at the UN headquarters includes roles connected to peacekeeping operations, political affairs and public information, where she contributed to policy analysis, strategic communications and the organisation’s activities across Africa.

Before joining the United Nations, Eziakonwa worked with several civil society organisations on the continent, building experience in community development and public service.

Academically, she holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University in New York, with a focus on African economic and political development. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Pedagogy, English and Literary Studies from the University of Benin.

In addition to speaking English and Igbo, Eziakonwa is fluent in Yoruba and has working knowledge of French, skills that have supported her work across different parts of Africa during her long international career.