New york: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Ahunna Eziakonwa from Nigeria as his special adviser on Africa, according to a statement Friday. Eziakonwa succeeds Cristina Duarte of Cabo Verde, whom the statement said Guterres "is grateful for her commitment and dedicated service to the Organization."According to Anadolu Agency, Eziakonwa currently serves as UN assistant secretary-general, assistant administrator, and director of the Regional Bureau for Africa at the UN Development Program (UNDP). In this role, she oversees support to 46 African countries pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union's Agenda 2063. Since 2018, she has helped shape UNDP's strategic approach to economic and political development across the continent.Eziakonwa has also served in various capacities, including as UN resident coordinator, humanitarian coordinator, and UNDP resident representative in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Lesotho. She was also the chief of the Africa section at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in New York, where she managed operations in 15 African countries.Additionally, Eziakonwa held senior posts in Liberia and Sierra Leone during critical periods in those nations. Besides English and her native Igbo, she speaks fluent Yoruba and has a working knowledge of French.
