Skip to content

Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala named Forbes Africa Person of 2020

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former Nigeria Finance Minister, has been named Forbes Africa Person of the Year 2020.

In a Tweet on Tuesday, Forbes Africa announced that the former Nigeria Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had been named “The 2020 African person of the Year.”

Dr Okonjo-Iweala, who is set to become the first African and first woman to lead the World Trade Organisation, said she was thrilled to receive the prestigious award.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala final contender in race to be the new Director General of World Trade Organisation (WTO).

She tweeted: “Thrilled to be named Forbes Africa-CNBC ‘2020 African of the Year’ following in the footsteps of my great brothers Paul Kagame and Akin Adesina.”

“This award is for Africans suffering the health and economic impact of COVID-19. The energy and resilience of Africans inspires me,” she added.

Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), won the award for his outstanding work in agriculture and finance in 2019 while the President of Rwanda Paul Kagame of Rwanda won the same award in 2018.