Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: An Economic Reformer
July 9, 2007 by 
OCI
How Much do you love and care for Nigeria and Africa? What Kind of a Reformer or Activist are You? Are you running with your tail between your legs or Are you as bold as Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala taking the bull by the horn.
She has done it again with this talk, she is not afraid of saying it, no matter who was in the audience. Can you be bolder?
If you think you can do better than her, then sit back and watch this clip; tell us what you can do better with your comments.
What do you think is the most appropriate title for the Talk?
Why you should listen to her:
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, was Nigeria’s Finance Minister and then briefly Foreign Affairs Minister from 2003 to 2006, the first woman to hold either position.
During her tenure, she worked to combat corruption, make Nigeria’s finances more transparent, and institute reforms to make the nation’s economy more hospitable to foreign investment. The government unlinked its budget from the price of oil, its main export, to lessen perennial cashflow crises, and got oil companies to publish how much they pay the government.
Since 2003 — when watchdog group Transparency International rated Nigeria “the most corrupt place on Earth” — the nation has made headway recovering stolen assets and jailing hundreds of people engaged in international Internet 419 scams.
Okonjo-Iweala is a former World Bank vice president who graduated from Harvard and earned a Ph.D. in regional economics and development at MIT. Her son Uzodinma Iweala is the celebrated young author of Beasts of No Nation.
“Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a heroine not just of Nigeria, but of the entire continent. Her crusade against corruption has put her life at risk.”
The Independent (UK)
SOURCE: TED Ideas Worth Spreading!
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