United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Nigerian diplomat Ahunna Eziakonwa as Special Adviser on Africa.
The announcement was made on Friday, with Eziakonwa succeeding Cristina Duarte of Cabo Verde, who previously held the position.
Eziakonwa currently serves as UN Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where she oversees support for 46 African countries in implementing Agenda 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
She has worked within the United Nations system for nearly three decades and has been involved in shaping UNDP’s approach to economic and political development across Africa since 2018.
Her previous roles include serving as UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Ethiopia, Uganda and Lesotho, where she coordinated development programmes, humanitarian operations and political engagement.
Eziakonwa also served as chief of the Africa Section at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in New York, overseeing humanitarian operations across 15 African countries.
She held senior positions in Liberia and Sierra Leone and has also worked with UN departments responsible for peacekeeping operations, political affairs and public information, contributing to policy analysis and communications related to the organisation’s work in Africa.
Before joining the United Nations, she worked with several civil society organisations across Africa.
Ahunna Eziakonwa 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’s degree in Pedagogy, English and Literary Studies from the University of Benin, Nigeria.
In addition to speaking Igbo and English, she is fluent in Yoruba and has working knowledge of French.
