COVID-19: Okonjo-Iweala Gets WHO Appointment

Nigeria’s former finance minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been appointed by the World HHealth Organization, WHO as its Special Envoy for the newly inaugurated Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is set to serve alongside British business executive, Sir Andrew Witty in the same capacity, to mobilise international commitment to the initiative.

The announcement was made on Saturday, April 25, 2020 by the Director-General of the organisation, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, during the launch of the ACT Accelerator — via webinar from Geneva.

“I would especially like to thank Sir Andrew Witty and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for agreeing to act as Special Envoys for the ACT Accelerator,” Ghebreyesus said in his remarks.

The initiative is an international collaboration aimed at accelerating the development, production, and equitable distribution of COVID-18 drugs, tests kits, and vaccines around the world.

This is the fourth international assignment given to Okonjo-Iweala in less than two months.