The World Health Organisation (WHO) has appointed Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as a Special Envoy for the newly inaugurated Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.
She will serve alongside British business executive, Sir Andrew Witty in the same capacity, to mobilise international commitment to the initiative.
Director-General of the organisation, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, made the announcement during the launch of the ACT Accelerator — via webinar from Geneva.
“I would especially like to thank Sir Andrew Witty and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for agreeing to act as Special Envoys for the ACT Accelerator,” Ghebreyesus said in his remarks.
The initiative is an international collaboration aimed at accelerating the development, production, and equitable distribution of COVID-19 drugs, tests kits, and vaccines around the world.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this is the fourth international assignment given to Okonjo-Iweala in less than two months.
On March 7, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa appointed her a member of the country’s Economic Advisory Council, which comprises indigenous and international economic experts.
Okonjo-Iweala is an internationally respected economist and development expert, who has served as Managing Director of the World Bank, among other assignments.
Source: NAN.
