Under-Secretary-General Ahunna Eziakonwa, Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Office of the Special Adviser on Africa is headed by the Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General.
Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa is the current Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General.
Appointed by United Nations Secretary?General Ant¨®nio Guterres in June 2026, Ms. Eziakonwa of Nigeria began her tenure of office on 1 August 2026.
Ms. Eziakonwa brings nearly three decades of United Nations (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ) leadership to her new role. In her previous role as Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Assistant Secretary General, Assistant Administrator and Director, Regional Bureau for Africa, United Nations Development Programme (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDP), she oversaw the organization¡¯s support to 46 African countries in pursuing Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the African Union¡¯s Agenda 2063. Since 2018, she has helped shape Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDP¡¯s strategic approach to economic and political development across the continent.
Ms. Eziakonwa¡¯s experience spans the full breadth of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ work in Africa. She has served as Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵDP Resident Representative in three countries - Ethiopia, Uganda and Lesotho ¨C where she coordinated humanitarian action, development strategy and political engagement. As Chief of the Africa Section at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCHA) in New York, she managed humanitarian operations across 15 African countries and held senior posts in Liberia and Sierra Leone during critical periods in those nations.
At Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Headquarters, she contributed to peacekeeping and political analysis and strategic communications pertaining to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ engagement in Africa, working with the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Departments of Peacekeeping Operations, Political Affairs and Public Information. Prior to joining the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, she held positions in several African civil society organisations.
Ms. Eziakonwa holds a Master¡¯s degree in International Affairs with a focus on African economic and political development from Columbia University, New York, USA, and a Bachelor of Arts in Pedagogy, English and Literary Studies from the University of Benin, Nigeria. In addition to her native Igbo and English, she speaks fluent Yoruba and has a working knowledge of French.
Selected Knowledge Products
The Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser of the United Nations Secretary-General on Africa authored several knowledge products, including the following selected titles.
Understanding the Complex Relationship Between Globalization and Multilateralism
This working paper outlines a strategic vision for reimagining globalization and multilateralism to address 21st-century global challenges effectively.
Challenging the Global Narrative on Africa's Debt
This policy paper calls for a paradigm shift in understanding and addressing Africa's debt.
Home-Grown School Feeding: From Hot Meal to Macroeconomic Tool
This policy paper positions Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) as a transformative, Africa-led approach.
How Home-Grown School Feeding Crowds in Development and Crowds Out Instability
State absence, weak governance systems and poor public service provision are creating conditions of chronic insecurity.
A Value Proposition: Harnessing Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ 2.0 for Africa's Development
This background paper examines Africa¡¯s mixed progress toward the SDGs, highlights gaps in poverty, education, and resilience, and presents the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ 2.0 framework as a pathway to realign the Africa-Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ partnership, strengthen local leadership and resource mobilization, and embed inclusive, future-ready strategies in the continent¡¯s development agenda.
Understanding the Stakes: Building a Data-Driven System in Africa and the Value of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ 2.0
This policy paper argues that Africa¡¯s digital transformation is a strategic imperative, framing data as a sovereign asset and artificial intelligence as a driver of power, and outlining how Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ 2.0 can support the continent in building inclusive, data-driven systems and securing its place in the global digital economy.
A series of conversations on Africa's global leadership with the Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser of the United Nations Secretary-General on Africa.