The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has appointed Nigeria’s Ahunna Eziakonwa as Special Adviser on Africa.
She takes over from Cristina Duarte of the Republic of Cabo Verde, with Guterres expressing appreciation for her service and dedication to the organisation.
Eziakonwa arrives in the role with almost 30 years of experience within the United Nations system, marking one of the most extensive Africa-focused careers in the institution.
Until her appointment, she served as UN Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa at the United Nations Development Programme, where she supervised operations supporting 46 African countries in advancing the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, alongside the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Since 2018, she has been central to shaping UNDP’s strategic direction on governance, economic transformation and development across the continent.
Her UN career has taken her across multiple high-impact field assignments, including roles as UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Ethiopia, Uganda and Lesotho, where she led humanitarian response, development coordination and political engagement efforts.
She also previously headed the Africa Section at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in New York, overseeing humanitarian operations in 15 African countries and holding senior responsibilities during critical periods in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
At UN Headquarters, she contributed to peacekeeping analysis, political affairs work and strategic communications supporting the UN’s engagement in Africa.
Before joining the UN system, she worked with various African civil society organisations.
Eziakonwa holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University in the United States, with a focus on African economic and political development, and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Benin in Nigeria.
She is fluent in Igbo and English, also speaks Yoruba, and has working knowledge of French.
