The United Nations has announced the appointment of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka of South Africa as Executive Director of UN-Women for a another term of four years.
This follows consultations among Secretary-General António Guterres, member states and the Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN-Women).
Before joining the UN-Women, Ms Mlambo-Ngcuka worked with women and girls in different capacities in civil society and as a public representative, focusing on political and economic rights as well as girls’ education.
Her experience includes promoting gender equality for women in both the private and the public sectors as well as her involvements in her country’s struggle against Apartheid. As World YWCA coordinator for young women’s programmes she has worked with young women all over the world.
Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka was the first woman to hold the position of Deputy President of South Africa from 2005 to 2008. She initially became a member of parliament, chairing the Public Service Portfolio Committee in 1994.
She was also Deputy Minister in the Department of Trade and Industry between 1996 and 1999, Minister of Minerals and Energy (1999-2005) and briefly served as acting Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (2004).
In all her portfolios, she was actively involved in policy and legislation that impacted positively on lives of women and girls.
Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka holds a PhD on education and technology from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom.
Sign up for GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.
