Ndidi Nwuneli, Agnes Binagwaho Appointed as Members of Board of Trustees of Rockefeller Foundation

By Uche Mbah

Two African Women, Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli and Agness Binagwaho were appointed members of the Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foudation, the Foundation announced Thursday.

Nwuneli is from Nigeria while Binagwaho is from Ruwanda.

Making the announcement on their Facebook page Thursday, the foundation says their appointment takes effect immediately.

Board Chairman Richard D. Parsons said that both women were recognized for their dedication to leadership.

“It is a pleasure to welcome Agnes and Ndidi to our Board of Trustees. As the Foundation works to lift up the most vulnerable people in communities around the world, their deep global development expertise and longstanding commitment to improving lives will be invaluable to the organization. Agnes and Ndidi have demonstrated and been recognized for their dedication and leadership in global health and agriculture, respectively, which are core areas of the Foundation’s work. I know I speak for the entire Board in saying we are thrilled to welcome them to The Rockefeller Foundation”, he said.

Extolling their deep personal commitment and extensive experience, Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Foundation said:  “I feel extremely fortunate to have Agnes and Ndidi join our Board of Trustees.  Agnes has helped change the national health landscape as a member of the government of Rwanda, and is an important leader in the field of global health. Ndidi has worked with the public and private sectors to champion solutions that have improved the lives of vulnerable people in Nigeria and around the world. Their deep personal commitment and extensive experience will make them invaluable to our efforts to advance The Rockefeller Foundation’s mission to inspire and foster large-scale human impact that promotes the well-being of humanity throughout the world.”

Dr. Binagwaho has served as Vice Chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity, an initiative of Partners In Health, since 2017.  From 2002-2016, she served the Rwandan Health Sector in high-level government positions, first as the Executive Secretary of Rwanda’s National AIDS Control Commission, then as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, and later spent five years as the Minister of Health.  She is also a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, a Professor of the Practice of Global Health Delivery at the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda, and an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. She completed her MD in General Medicine at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles and her MA in Pediatrics at the Universite de Bretagne Occidentale.

“I have long admired the work of The Rockefeller Foundation and I am delighted to join the Board of Trustees. The Foundation’s work advancing new frontiers, especially with respect to health and science, continues to touch the lives of so many around the world, and I look forward to helping support the advancement of that work,” said Dr. Agnes Binagwaho.

Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli is a Co-Founder of Sahel Consulting: Agriculture & Nutrition Ltd. and serves as its managing partner helping shape agriculture strategy and policy and implementing large-scale, innovative programs in West Africa in partnership with the public, private and nonprofit sectors. With more than 23 years of experience in international development, Ms. Nwuneli was recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, received a National Honour (Member of the Federal Republic) from the Nigerian Government and was listed as one of the 20 Youngest Power African Women by Forbes. Ms. Nwuneli is also the co-founder of AACE Foods, a social enterprise that processes nutritious food made from the best of West Africa’s cereals, herbs, pulses and spices.  She is the founder of LEAP Africa, which works across Africa inspiring, empowering and equipping the next generation of dynamic, principled and innovative young leaders. Ms. Nwuneli received her MBA from Harvard Business School, and her undergraduate degree with honors in Multinational and Strategic Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

“The Rockefeller Foundation’s efforts to scale innovations that help meet the needs of the most vulnerable communities around the world are just as important now as they were when the Foundation was founded. I am honored to join the Board of Trustees to support the Foundation as it continues to build on its legacy of leveraging data, technology and innovation to improve the well-being of humanity,” said Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli.

According to Wikipedia, Rockefeller Foundation was established by the six-generation Rockefeller family. The Foundation was started by Standard Oil owner John D. Rockefeller, along with his son John D. Rockefeller Jr., and Rockefeller Senior’s principal oil and gas business and philanthropic advisor, Frederick Taylor Gates, in New York State on May 14, 1913, when its charter was formally accepted by the New York State Legislature.[4]

As of 2015, the Foundation was ranked as the 39th largest U.S. foundation by total giving. By year-end 2016 assets were tallied at $4.1 billion (unchanged from 2015), with annual grants of $173 million.