Staff ReporterNigeria’s former finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been appointed to the board of Twitter.
She will be replacing Marjorie Scardino, the former Chief Executive of Pearson.
Okonjo-Iweala served as minister of finance and coordinating minister for the economy of Nigeria under President Goodluck Jonathan from 2011 until his government was voted out in March 2015.
She tweeted the news of her appointment, saying she was “excited” to work on a platform that connects people and ideas.
Twitter, like other Silicon Valley companies, has been criticised for not being inclusive enough.
With Mrs Okonjo-Iweala’s appointment, Twitter’s 10-member board now has three women, two of whom are black.
Excited to work with @Jack and an incredible team on the Board of Twitter, a global platform that is such a strong connector of people and ideas.
— Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (@NOIweala) 19 July 2018
According to the Executive Chairman of Twitter, Omid Kordestani, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala would be an incredible asset for the company as it strives toward transparency in its global operations.
Earlier this year, Jack Dorsey, chief executive, admitted Twitter did not fully predict or understand the “negative real-world consequences” of an instant, public, global conversation, and that the company had not been able to address the consequences fast enough.
Twitter has been hit by investor concerns over user growth, which could slow as it accelerates a push to delete fake accounts.
