The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has designated a Nigerian, Babatunde A. Ahonsi, as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Turkey, a position that has received the host Government’s approval.
Ahonsi, with 26 years of extensive experience in international development within and beyond the United Nations, brings a wealth of expertise to his new role.
Previously serving as the UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone, Ahonsi coordinated and facilitated the UN’s developmental operational activities within the country.
He effectively led the UN country team during his tenure, ensuring comprehensive accountability for the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.
He also spearheaded UN support in Sierra Leone for implementing the 2030 Agenda and the UN Secretary-General’s Prevention Agenda.
Ahonsi’s previous assignments encompassed roles of significant responsibility. His service as the UN Resident Coordinator in China from June to September 2020 and earlier as the UNFPA Representative in China/Country Director for Mongolia (from January 2017 to June 2020) and in Ghana (from 2014 to 2016) underscore his extensive experience in the field.
Between 1997 and 2014, Ahonsi held pivotal senior management positions with the Ford Foundation (overseeing West Africa) and the Population Council (covering Nigeria). His roles predominantly focused on managing reproductive health, women’s empowerment, and youth development programs and initiatives.
Adding to his versatile career, Ahonsi also contributed to academia, lecturing at federal universities in Ilorin, Calabar, and Lagos, Nigeria, during the 1980s and 1990s.
Ahonsi’s academic achievements include a BSc degree in sociology (first-class honours) from the University of Lagos and a PhD in population studies from the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, England.
