Obiageli “Oby” Ezekwesili is a renowned Nigerian economic policy expert and former government minister. She served as Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals from 2005 to 2006, and as Minister of Education from 2006 to 2007. Before these appointments, she was the pioneer head of the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit, also known as the Due Process Office, where she institutionalized transparency and accountability in public procurement. From 2007 to 2012, she served as Vice President of the World Bank for the Africa Region, overseeing a portfolio of development projects worth over $40 billion across 48 countries. She was also a co-founder and pioneer director of Transparency International, playing a key role in shaping its anti-corruption framework globally.
Throughout her career, Ms Ezekwesili has combined public service with international development and civil society leadership. She began her professional journey at Deloitte & Touche and later worked with Professor Jeffrey Sachs at the Harvard Center for International Development. She holds a bachelor’s in business education from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; a master’s in international law and diplomacy from the University of Lagos; and a master’s in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School. In 2014, she co-convened the #BringBackOurGirls movement, which gained global attention for advocating the rescue of schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Nigeria. She has also been a prominent voice in extractive sector transparency through her work with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, for which she received a Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2018.
Ezekwesili continues to influence policy and governance reform across Africa. She is the founder of the #FixPolitics Initiative and the School of Politics, Policy, and Governance, as well as Human Capital Africa, which addresses foundational learning challenges in African education. She serves as a senior economic advisor at the Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative and chairs the board of Women Political Leaders. She has held fellowships at Yale University and the Robert Bosch Academy and serves on several university boards globally. A recipient of the Commander of the Federal Republic honor and various international awards, she is also an ordained pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God and is married to Pastor Chinedu Ezekwesili, with whom she has three sons.
