By Dipo Olowookere
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has applauded the appointment of former Minister of Finance in Nigeria, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as a member of South Africa’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday appointed the Nigerian into his economic think tank after his country slipped into another recession in two years.
Worried by the economic crisis in his country, Mr Ramaphona, who was a businessman before becoming President of South Africa, approached Mrs Okonjo-Iweala for assistance and invited her to the council meeting in Pretoria on Friday, which he presided over.
The former Finance Minister said the meeting was to discuss “sources of growth for the South African economy and win-win economic interactions with the continent.”
In his reaction, Mr Jonathan, who appointed Mrs Okonjo-Iweala as his co-ordinating minister for the economy/finance minister, expressed confidence in the ability of the developmental economist to revamp South Africa’s economy.
“I congratulate Dr.Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who served as the co-ordinating minister for the economy/finance minister in my cabinet, on her appointment as a member of South Africa’s Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
“As a two-time minister in Nigeria you left indelible marks as an astute manager of the nation’s economy and resources. I am delighted that you have continued to place your substantial wealth of experience as a development economist at the service of many nations and international organisations to aid global growth and progress.
“I have no doubt in my mind that you will excel in the new assignment,” the former Nigerian leader said in a post shared on his official Facebook page on Sunday morning.
During the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo (from 1999-2007), Mrs Okonjo-Iweala was appointed Finance Minister and she was very instrumental in clearing the country’s foreign debts, especially with the Paris Club.
The economic team of South Africa is a non-statutory and independent body chaired by the president. It brings together prominent economists and technical experts drawn from academia, the private sector, labour, community, think tanks and other constituencies.
The members, who will volunteer their time and be compensated for subsistence and travel, are appointed to serve a three-year term.
The main aim is to “ensure greater coherence and consistency in the implementation of economic policy and ensure that government and society in general is better equipped to respond to changing economic circumstances.”
