Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was Nigeria's Finance Minister from 2003 to 2006, and then briefly served as the nation's Foreign Minister. She was the first woman to hold either position. Okonjo-Iweala currently serves as a fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Fast Facts:
- Born: June 13, 1954
- Alma Mater: Harvard University, MIT
- Former World Bank vice president
- Son Uzodinma Iweala is the acclaimed author of Beasts of No Nation
- Speaker at 2007 TED Conference
Education
Born in Nigeria in 1954, Okonjo-Iweala graduated from Harvard University in 1976 and completed her graduate work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She returned to her native Nigeria and worked for the World Bank Group until being appointed Finance Minister of the country in 2003.
Finance and Foreign Minister
As Finance Minister, Okonjo-Iweala battled political and financial corruption and helped bring efficiency to the African nation's financial institutions. She also helped engineer a debt relief program between Nigeria and the World Bank during her tenure.
In 2006, Okonjo-Iweala left her post as Finance Minister to become Nigeria's Foreign Minister. However, she only held the post for a short time, resigning in August after the President Olusegun Obasanjo had her removed from the nation's Economic Intelligence Team. In December 2007, she became the Managing Director of the World Bank.
