Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has hailed the appointment of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala into South Africa’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
Delta State is the state where the former World Bank Managing Director and two-time Nigeria’s former Finance minister, Dr Okonjo-Iweala hails from, so it is not surprising to see the that the Governor has joined millions to celebrate the Appointment.
Although the rumoured appointment is yet to be officially confirmed by both the South African government and Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala herself, Governor Okowa reacting to the news, took to his social media handle to post a photo of Dr Okonjo-Iweala and himself, with a caption that reads:
“On behalf of the Government and people of Delta State, I congratulate a worthy Ambassador of Delta State, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on her appointment into South Africa’s Economic Advisory Council!” he said.
As we reported, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had caused a bit of confusion in the media, when she made a post on her official twitter account where she was pictured with the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa and other members of his cabinet, at the country’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council meeting on Saturday. She had posted the photos with this caption:
“With President Ramaphosa, members of the cabinet, and members of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council in Pretoria discussing sources of growth for the South African economy and win-win economic interactions with the continent”.
From our findings, Nigeria’s Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala on Friday attended the South Africa Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) on the invitation of President Cyril Ramaphosa, to discuss the economic and developmental challenges in the South African economy. She was even pictured with other members at the meeting, with her special tag. But in what capacity she attended the meeting, we do not know, as that was not made public by either parties.
None of the reports circulating in the media in Nigeria, have been confirmed by the President of South Africa, as the statement released by Khusela Diko who is the Spokesperson to the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, did not make mention of the rumoured appointment of Dr Okonjo Iweala.
He said the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) meeting where it was rumoured that Dr Okonjo Iweala was appointed as a member or was unveiled to the other cabinet members as a special guest, was held at the Union Buildings on Friday 06 March 2020. The meeting according to the statement by the South Africa government was to review and refine South Africa’s collective response to current economic and development challenges.
According to the statement, the Council was inaugurated in October 2019 to serve as a forum for in-depth and structured discussions on emerging global and domestic development, economic and development policies and to facilitate socialisation and diligent execution of Council resolutions by government and social partners.
The Council comprises local and international economic thought leaders, prominent economists and technical experts drawn from academia, private sector, labour, community, think tanks and other constituencies.
“The meeting chaired by the President is expected to focus on global trends and South Africa’s re-industrialisation program. It will further reflect on the state’s role in driving mission-oriented, challenge-led projects, including advancing a new energy paradigm for the country.
The Council will also serve as a sounding board on options for reducing inequality through, among others, inclusively growing the agricultural sector and dealing with the rising national debt.
The President has urged the advisory council to focus its energies on areas that require the greatest attention and which are likely to have the greatest impact.
“We need to firstly, fix the fundamentals, secondly pursue vital areas of growth and thirdly, aim for excellence in planning and execution,” the statement said.
We are still waiting for the appointment if there is any, to be confirmed before we can officially say she was given an appointment.