Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala named African Finance Minister of the year
The Nigerian Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has won the African Finance Minister of the year award.
The award was given to the minister by the African Investor Magazine during the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC.
While receiving the award, she thanked the organisers and urged investors in Africa to support the fight against the deadly Ebola virus disease that is ravaging some countries in West Africa.
She said, “What is happening in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra-Leone and the success we had in Nigeria and Senegal in containing this virus should not be allowed to set Africa back.
“You as private sector and friends of Africa need to send the message that we should not be so afraid of Ebola that we stigmatise the whole continent.
“I think that it is only with your own leadership, as African investors, that the rest of the world can see which way they should pass. So, I am really urging you to be ambassadors to the continent.”
She mentioned some milestones African countries had reached, and encouraged leaders to focus on the successes and not the failures.
“We are not shying away from these challenges but the turning point now is that we are in the continent where we have the political will and confidence to tackle these challenges.
“I think that we as Africans must always take the lead because if we don’t solve our problems, nobody can do it for us.”
