Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (banker) | |
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Born | 13 June 1954 |
Nationality | Nigerian |
Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard |
Member of | Atlantic Council/Distinguished Leadership Awards, Brookings Institution, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, Rockefeller Foundation |
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a Nigerian-born banker and international development expert. She sits on the Boards of Standard Chartered Bank, Twitter, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), and the African Risk Capacity (ARC). She is in the lead in the race for the top job at the World Health Organization.
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Career at World Bank
Okonjo-Iweala had a 25-year career at the World Bank in Washington DC as a development economist, rising to the No. 2 position of Managing Director.[1] As Managing Director, she had oversight responsibility for the World Bank’s $81 billion operational portfolio in Africa, South Asia, Europe and Central Asia.
Okonjo-Iweala spearheaded several World Bank initiatives to "assist" low-income countries during the 2008 – 2009, food crises, and later during the financial crisis (what the World Bank normally means by assistance is giving a loan on condition of forcing through crushing conditions that makes the target economy unable to develop, by straitjacketing it to the [Washington Consensus]]cn}}), including demands to slash state budgets in public services including in education, infrastructure or basic health services, cut state subsidies to food and fuel, make the currency convertible and cheap, and eliminate protectionist barriers.
During her time at the World Bank, she was also a member of the Commission on Effective Development Cooperation with Africa, which was set up by the Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark, and held meetings between April and October 2008.
Nigerian Government
she was Finance Minister in the Nigerian government twice, first under President Olusegun Obasanjo from 2003–2006. Then again, from 2011–2015 under President Goodluck Jonathan when she was named Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy.
Though she was never charged with corruption, in 2015 almost $20 billion was discovered “lost” after an audit by PriceWaterhouseCoopers of state oil revenues. As Finance Minister she backed the usual IMF/World Bank demands for slashing state subsidies for gasoline and privatization of electricity. The cut in 2012 triggered massive street protests, as many Nigerians see cheap gasoline as the only benefit they get from the country’s vast oil wealth.
GAVI and Gates
Connections
While taking the position as Chairman of GAVI Okonjo-Iweala also became “Senior Advisor” to Lazard Ltd., a US investment bank which claims to be the world’s largest independent investment bank.
In 2018, she joined the Board of the major international bank Standard Chartered.
She is listed as an "agenda setter" at the World Economic Forum[2].
Events Participated in
Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
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Munich Security Conference/2013 | 1 February 2013 | 3 February 2013 | Germany Munich Bavaria | The 49th Munich Security Conference |
Munich Security Conference/2014 | 31 January 2014 | 2 February 2014 | Germany Munich Bavaria | The 50th Munich Security Conference |
Munich Security Conference/2022 | 18 February 2022 | 20 February 2022 | Germany Munich Bavaria | Slightly less than 1/3 of the 664 of the participants have pages here |
WEF/Annual Meeting/2004 | 21 January 2004 | 25 January 2004 | World Economic Forum Switzerland | 2068 billionaires, CEOs and their politicians and "civil society" leaders met under the slogan Partnering for Prosperity and Security. "We have the people who matter," said World Economic Forum Co-Chief Executive Officer José María Figueres. |
WEF/Annual Meeting/2011 | 26 January 2011 | 30 January 2011 | World Economic Forum Switzerland | 2229 guests in Davos, with the theme: "Shared Norms for the New Reality". |
WEF/Annual Meeting/2013 | 23 January 2013 | 27 January 2013 | World Economic Forum Switzerland | 2500 mostly unelected leaders met to discuss "leading through adversity" |
WEF/Annual Meeting/2014 | 22 January 2014 | 25 January 2014 | World Economic Forum Switzerland | 2604 guests in Davos considered "Reshaping The World" |
WEF/Annual Meeting/2016 | 20 January 2016 | 23 January 2016 | World Economic Forum Switzerland | Attended by over 2500 people, both leaders and followers, who were explained how the Fourth Industrial Revolution would changed everything, including being a "revolution of values". |
WEF/Annual Meeting/2017 | 17 January 2017 | 20 January 2017 | World Economic Forum Switzerland | 2950 known participants, including prominently Bill Gates. "Offers a platform for the most effective and engaged leaders to achieve common goals for greater societal leadership." |
WEF/Annual Meeting/2019 | 22 January 2019 | 25 January 2019 | World Economic Forum Switzerland | "The reality is that we are in a Cold War [against China] that threatens to turn into a hot one." |
WEF/Annual Meeting/2020 | 21 January 2020 | 24 January 2020 | World Economic Forum Switzerland | This mega-summit of the world's ruling class and their political and media appendages happens every year, but 2020 was special, as the continuous corporate media coverage of COVID-19 started more or less from one day to the next on 20/21 January 2020, coinciding with the start of the meeting. |
WEF/Annual Meeting/2023 | 16 January 2023 | 20 January 2023 | World Economic Forum Switzerland | The theme of the meeting was "Cooperation in a Fragmented World" |