Joy Ogwu

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Wikipedia

Joy Ogwu
Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations
In office
7 May 2008 – May 2017
Succeeded byTijjani Muhammad-Bande
Foreign Minister of Nigeria
In office
30 August 2006 – 29 May 2007
PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo
Preceded byNgozi Okonjo-Iweala
Succeeded byOjo Maduekwe
Personal details
BornJoy Uche Angela Ogwu
(1946-08-22)22 August 1946
Nigeria Protectorate
Died13 October 2025(2025-10-13) (aged 79)
New York, U.S.
Alma materRutgers University
University of Lagos

Joy Uche Angela Ogwu (22 August 1946 – 13 October 2025) was a Nigerian politician and diplomat who served as Foreign Minister and as Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations (2008–2017).[1][2]

Ogwu was the first woman to hold the post of Permanent Representative to the United Nations from Nigeria.[3] Prior to her ministerial career, Ogwu served as Director–General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA).[4]

She advised the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research on disarmament issues and has published books promoting more African ties to Latin America.[5] She was a chair of the board of trustees of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).[5]

Ogwu was appointed Foreign Minister by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on 30 August 2006.[5]

In 2008, Ogwu became the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN in New York City.[6] Ogwu was the President of the UN Security Council in July 2010 and in October 2011.[7] She was the president of the executive board of the UN Women Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.[8]

She obtained her BA and MA in political science from Rutgers University.[9] She later received her Ph.D. from the University of Lagos in Nigeria.[9] While obtaining her Ph.D. in 1977, she joined the Institute of International Affairs at the University of Lagos.[8]

Ogwu started her career as an assistant lecturer, at the Nigerian National War College[8] and the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS).[10] She subsequently joined the NIIA as a lecturer, obtaining a research fellowship during which she authored her first book, Nigerian Foreign Policy:[citation needed] Alternative Futures (Macmillan, 1986). She eventually headed the research department in International Politics, leading on to her role as the first female Director General.[citation needed] Ogwu additionally focused on the developing countries of Latin America, enabling an investigation into the possibilities of a proficient South-South relationship between Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.[citation needed] She held a visiting fellowship at the University of London's Institute of Latin American Studies and has been published extensively in Portuguese, Spanish, French and Croatian.[citation needed] She served on the United Nations Secretary General's advisory board on Disarmament Matters.[citation needed]

She became a voice for women's development and human rights.[11] Her perspective spanned Asia Pacific, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.[citation needed]

Ogwu died at a hospital in New York, on 13 October 2025, at the age of 79.[12]

Published books

  • Nigerian Foreign Policy: Alternative Futures, published by the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs in co-operation with Macmillan Nigeria Publishers, 1986[13]
  • Africa and Latin America: Perspectives and Challenges[citation needed]
  • New Horizons for Nigeria in World Affairs, 2005[14]
  • Leadership, Democracy, and the Challenges of Development, 2017[citation needed]

References

  1. ↑ "Home". Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations, New York. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "New Permanent Representative of Nigeria Presents Credentials". UN. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  3. ↑ "Joy Ogwu:Ambassador Series Lecture". Adelphi University. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "Joy Ogwu, Bolaji Akinyemi: Where are they now?". Blueprint. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "Joy Ogwu: Quintessential Diplomat". The Pointer News Online. 19 July 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  6. ↑ "NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF NIGERIA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS". UN. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  7. ↑ "Security Council Releases". UN. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 "Joy Ogwu: Enviable envoy with enriching scholarship". National Light. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  9. 1 2 "Directory of Full Professors in the Nigerian University System " (PDF). global.adelphi.edu. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  10. ↑ "Joy Ogwu, Bolaji Akinyemi: Where are they now?". Blueprint. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  11. ↑ "Joy Ogwu, Laraba Gambo Abdullahi: Where are they now?". Blueprint Newspapers Limited. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "Ex-Foreign Affairs Minister, Joy Ogwu, Dies At 79". TVC News. 14 October 2025. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  13. ↑ Joy Ogwu, U. (1986). Nigerian Foreign Policy: Alternative Futures. Nigerian Institute of International Affairs. ISBN 9781328126.
  14. ↑ Ogwu, U. Joy (2005). New horizons for Nigeria in world affairs. Victoria Island, Lagos: Nigerian Institute of International Affairs. ISBN 978-978-002-056-9. OCLC 70810530.