Minister of Finance

Born in 1954, to a king, Professor Chukuka Okonjo, from the Umu Obi Obahai Royal Family of Ogwashi-Uku,  Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala studied economics at Harvard University, and earned a PhD in regional economics and development from MIT in 1981. She joined the World Bank, where she spent 21 years as a development economist. She became intimately familiar with the economies of East Asia, putting in two tours in the region, and acting as country director for Malaysia, Mongolia, Laos and Cambodia.

DR Okonjo Iweala would always be remembered for the fiscal discipline she brought to the nation’s finances when She returned to Nigeria in 2003, at the invitation of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

As his Finance Minister, she arranged the cancellation of US$18 billion of Nigeria’s debt to the Paris Club, a group of creditor nations, in 2005. The remaining $12 bn. of debt was paid the following year with money saved in budget reforms she enacted.

Okonjo Iweala attacked corruption and accelerated privatisation and liberalisation. She signed Nigeria up to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, a voluntary standard for petroleum and mining industries. On her watch, Nigeria’s inflation more than halved. In June 2006, Obasanjo shook up his cabinet, giving Okonjo-Iweala the Foreign Ministry but allowing her to keep an eye on external debt. When this responsibility was taken from her a few months later, she resigned from the government.

In July 2011, on account of popular demand, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, reappointed,  Dr. Okonjo-Iweala as Nigeria’s Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister for the economy. Since assuming office the second time as the chief pilot of our econmy, Nigeria has witnessed stupendous progress in the econmy, chiefly amongs them id the recent rebasing of the economy that saw the world bank name Nigeria as the biggest economy in Africa and the 26th largest in the whole world.

Dr, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, has received many Honors and awards including but not limited to

*Silverbird Man of the Year. 2012

*Time Europe Hero 2004

*This Day Nigeria Minister of the Year 2004

*Euromoney Magazine Global *Finance Minister of the year 2005

*Financial Times/The *Banker African Finance Minister 2005

*Nigerian of the Year 2006.

*Honorary Doctorate from Brown *University, Providence, USA.

*Honorary Doctorate from Trinity *College, University of Dublin, Ireland.

*Honorary Doctorate from Colby   College, Maine, USA.

*Honorary Doctorate from Northern Caribbean University, Mandeville, Jamaica.

*Honorary Doctorate from Amherst College, Amherst, USA.

Married to Dr Ikemba Iweala, from Abia state, Dr Okonjo Iweala id blessed with 4 successful children

For her effort at revamping our economy and reinventing budgetary processes of our fiscal policies, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala is today honored as a member of the 2014 class of MMS plus woman of fortune hall of fame