Obiageli Ezekwesili Appointed As Vice President for the Africa

News Release No. 2007/295/AFR

Obiageli Ezekwesili Appointed As Vice President for the Africa Region

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2007

World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz announced todaythe appointment of Obiageli Ezekwesili as Vice President for the Africa Region.

Ms. Ezekwesili, a Nigerian national, will join the World Bank from hermost recent position as Minister of Education within the Government ofNigeria.Beginning May 1, she will lead the World Bank's Africa operations, which lendabout $4.7 billion a year to the continent.

Ms. Ezekwesili began her career as an auditor and management consultant. Shewas one of the founding members of Transparency International, where she heldthe position Director for Africa, and also served as Special Assistant to thePresident of Nigeria on Budget Monitoring, and the Price Intelligence Unit,where she spear-headed institutional reforms through the establishment of dueprocess mechanisms and strategies.

Ms. Ezekwesili subsequently served as Minister of Solid Minerals Development,with emphasis on reforming Nigeria's mining sector to internationallyrecognized standards. She has also served as the Chairperson for the NigeriaExtractive Industries Transparency Initiative since 2004 and pioneered thevoluntary sign-on of Nigeria to the EITI Principles, as well as the first everaudit of the oil and gas sector.

Since June 2006, Ms. Ezekwesili has been the Minister of Education where shewas tasked with leading the country's on-going comprehensive reform strategywithin the education sector. The track record attesting to her innovativesuccess in this area culminated with the Nigerian stock exchange launch of"Adopt-A-Public School Initiative" earlier this year.

Oby's unique blend of first-hand experiences, especially in the more challenging and complex areas of energy sector reform and education, position her as the ideal candidate to serve as the Vice President for Africa,§ said World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz. Oby 's life is a testament to her dedication to Africa as is the high degree of respect in which she is held by the international community.

Her passion for and commitment to Africa, high degree of integrity and optimism will bring invaluable strengths to our organization. § Ms. Ezekwesili holds a Masters in International Law and Diplomacy from University of Lagos, as well as a Masters of Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard. She is also a chartered accountant. She was selected for this position through a competitive international search.