(We publish below two brief but heart-warming reports concerning Africa and Africans at large)
First, the Swiss government says it has reached a deal to return some $321 million to Nigeria that was seized from the assets of former military dictator Gen. Sani Abacha.
A statement by Swiss authorities says the two governments and the World Bank have signed an agreement to that effect in Washington.
Switzerland says it seized hundreds of millions of dollars after the public prosecutor’s office of Geneva opened a case against the former Nigerian leader, claiming that the money was originally placed in Luxembourg.
General Sani Abacha took power in a coup in 1993 and died under suspicious circumstances in 1998 while he was still in office. He has been accused of stealing as much as $5 billion during his time in power.
AND FROM NAIROBI, there is the cheery report that the International Monetary Fund, IMF, has appointed Dr. Nancy Asiko Onyango as the Director of the Fund’s Office of Internal Audit and Inspection.
While making the announcement, IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde said Ms. Onyango brings to the Fund over 25 years of experience in internal audit, strategic risk management, corporate governance and IT risk management. Mrs. Lagarde said, “In addition to her extensive assurance and corporate governance experience, Nancy is passionate about empowering women and girls, notably in harnessing their leadership potential. She is a Global Give Back Circle mentor to girls from disadvantaged backgrounds”.
Ms. Onyango takes over in February 2018 from Clare Brady who has left IMF and will oversee the office that conducts independent examinations of the IMF’s internal control and governance processes.
Before her appointment, Onyango was the Chief Executive Officer at Reliance Risk Advisory Solutions based in Kenya and was at some point a Partner at PwC Kenya.
She is a Certified Public Accountant, CPA, and holds a doctorate degree in Business Administration from the United States International University – Africa, in conjunction with the Columbia Business School, specializing in gender leadership and organizational change management, amongst other degrees.
