Ngozi Okonjo Iweala has received an honorary degree from Yale

May 22 , 2015 Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has become the recipient of an honorary Doctorate degree from Yale University, one of the most prestigious tertiary institutions in America.

She was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters at Yale’s 2015 Commencement Ceremony in New Haven, Connecticut. With this honour, she has become the second Nigerian in the university’s history to receive its highest honor after Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka who received an honorary Doctor of Letters in 1980.

The President of the University Professor Peter Salovey who presented the award, described Okonjo-Iweala as “a brilliant reformer and dedicated public servant.”

He also stated that the Minister “has spearheaded efforts to stabilize and grow Nigeria’s economy, battling widespread government corruption and creating greater fiscal transparency and discipline.”

A statement from the institution read “those who have received honorary degree are scholars, public servants, Nobel Prize winners and heads of states. Collectively, they represent the aspirations of this institution. Yale honorary degree recipients serve as models of excellence and service to our students, to our graduates, to our community and to the world,”

The minister was honored alongside the Chair of the Board of Governors of US Federal Reserve System Janet Yellen, Grammy award winner and world renowned Singer and songwriter, Angelique Kidjo, University Professor and founding member of the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society at Columbia University Gayatari Chakravorty Spivak, amongst other scientists and entrepreneurs.