The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has appointed Ahunna Eziakonwa of Nigeria as his Special Adviser on Africa.
She succeeds Cristina Duarte of Cabo Verde, to whom the Secretary-General expressed appreciation for her service and dedication to the United Nations.
Eziakonwa brings nearly 30 years of UN leadership experience to her new role, with extensive work across development, humanitarian response, and political coordination in Africa.
In her most recent position, she served as UN Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator, and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In that capacity, she oversaw UNDP operations supporting 46 African countries in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063.
Since 2018, she has played a key role in shaping UNDP’s strategic approach to economic and political development across Africa, strengthening institutional resilience and development partnerships.
Her career spans a wide range of UN field and headquarters assignments. She previously served as UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator, and UNDP Resident Representative in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Lesotho, where she led humanitarian response efforts and coordinated development and political initiatives.
She also worked as Chief of 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 held senior positions in Liberia and Sierra Leone during critical periods of crisis response and recovery.
At UN Headquarters, she contributed to peacekeeping operations, political analysis, and strategic communications relating to UN engagement in Africa, working with departments covering peacekeeping, political affairs, and public information.
Before joining the United Nations, Eziakonwa worked with several African civil society organisations, building early experience in development and advocacy work.
She holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from Columbia University, New York, with a focus on African economic and political development, and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Benin, Nigeria, in Pedagogy, English, and Literary Studies.
Eziakonwa is multilingual, speaking Igbo and English, fluent in Yoruba, and possessing a working knowledge of French.
