Former foreign minister, Prof Joy Ogwu, passes on at 79

Nigeria’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs and one of Africa’s most respected diplomats, Professor Joy Uche Angela Ogwu, has died at the age of 79.

Family sources confirmed that the distinguished scholar and international stateswoman died in the early hours of Monday in a hospital in New York, United States, with her daughter by her side, according to a report by The New Diplomat, an online newspaper.

Born on August 22, 1946, in Delta State, Prof. Ogwu made history as the first woman to serve as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, a post she held from 2008 to 2017. She also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs between August 2006 and May 2007 under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

Before her foray into government service, Ogwu was a renowned academic and foreign policy expert. She began her career as a lecturer and researcher before rising to become the first female Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), where she influenced the country’s engagement with the global community.

A product of Rutgers University in New Jersey, where she obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Political Science, Ogwu went on to earn a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Lagos in 1977. She later joined the NIIA, where she established herself as a leading voice in international relations, with research focusing on Nigeria’s foreign policy, disarmament, and South-South cooperation between Africa and Latin America.

During her diplomatic career, Prof. Ogwu represented Nigeria with distinction at the United Nations, twice presiding over the UN Security Council, in July 2010 and October 2011. She also served as president of the executive board of UN Women and chaired the board of trustees of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).

Beyond her official duties, Ogwu was deeply committed to advancing women’s empowerment, human rights, and education. She served on the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters and was instrumental in UNESCO-funded programmes promoting human rights education in Nigerian schools.

A prolific scholar, she authored several influential works, including Nigerian Foreign Policy: Alternative Futures (1986), and published extensively on issues of global security and diplomacy.