Oby Ezekwesili appointed to IBFD board of trustees

May 6, 2020 9:04 pm

Obiageli Katryn Ezekwesili, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow, Robert Bosch Academy, Germany speaking during the session Delivering the Promise of Africas Youth at the World Forum World Economic Forum on Africa 2019. Copyright by World Economic Forum / Benedikt von Loebell

International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (IBFD), a non-governmental organisation that specialises in cross-border taxation, has appointed Obiageli ‘Oby’ Ezekwesili to its board of trustees.

The NGO announced the appointment in a statement on Wednesday.

“IBFD is honoured to announce the appointment of Dr Oby Ezekwesili to the board of trustees, effective from April 1, 2020,” it said.

“As a member of the board of trustees, Dr Ezekwesili will contribute to the oversight of IBFD’s expansion in developing economies, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience in international organizations and capacity building.

“She will help IBFD build on its strengths, independence and quality.”

Commenting on the appointment, Jan Maarten Slagter, CEO of IBFD, said: “IBFD is delighted that Dr Ezekwesili has joined our board of trustees and expect that her unique perspective and contribution will be enormously beneficial, in particular to the work that we do in developing economies.

“The current crisis will put more strain on government budgets and domestic resource mobilization will be more important than ever going forward.”

Ezekwesili, a presidential candidate in the 2019 election, was a former vice president of the World Bank’s Africa division.

She has also served in various capacities as minister of education and solid minerals, and former chairperson of the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

She holds the commander of the order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFR) national award and was listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2015.