Addis Ababa, March 16, 2026 (FMC) — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Ozonnia Ojielo of Nigeria as the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia.
UN Mission in Ethiopia disclosed in a statement that Mr. Ojielo’s appointment was made with the approval of the host government and took effect on March 14.
He brings more than 25 years of experience in sustainable development, governance, peacebuilding and conflict prevention, including oversight of a global portfolio of United Nations programmes and projects across four continents. Most recently, he served as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Rwanda, where he led the United Nations Country Team, strengthened joint programme delivery, and worked with development partners and government leaders to advance national development priorities.
Prior to that role, Mr. Ojielo served as Resident Coordinator in Kyrgyzstan. He also held positions as Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme and as Representative of the United Nations Population Fund to the Kyrgyz Republic.
Within the UN system, he has held several senior leadership roles with the United Nations Development Programme, including Cluster Director for Governance and Peacebuilding at the Regional Service Centre for Africa in Addis Ababa and Director for Conflict Prevention and Recovery at the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery at UNDP Headquarters in New York City. He also served with UNDP in Kenya and Ghana in various senior capacities.
Before joining the United Nations, Mr. Ojielo worked as an attorney, university lecturer and journalist. He also advised truth, justice and reconciliation commissions as well as national human rights institutions in Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia and Sierra Leone.
Mr. Ojielo previously served as President of the Centre for Peace in Africa, a regional non-profit organization based in Nigeria, and founded the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators, a mediation and conciliation organization in Africa. He has also authored numerous scholarly and technical publications.