Joy Ogwu

Joy Uche Angela Ogwu Listen^ⓘ (22 August 1946 – 13 October 2025) was a Nigerian politician and diplomat who served as foreign minister and as permanent representative of Nigeria to the United Nations (2008–2017).^[1][2]

Ogwu was the first woman to hold the post of permanent representative to the United Nations from Nigeria.^[3] Prior to her ministerial career, she served as director–general of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA).^[4]

She advised the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research on disarmament issues and published books promoting more African ties to Latin America.^[5] She was a chair of the board of trustees of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).^[5]

Ogwu was appointed foreign minister by Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on 30 August 2006.^[5]

In 2008, Ogwu became the permanent representative of Nigeria to the UN in New York City.^[6] She was the president of the UN Security Council in July 2010 and in October 2011.^[7] She was the president of the executive board of the UN Women Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.^[8]

She obtained her BA and MA in political science from Rutgers University.^[9] She later received her Ph.D. from the University of Lagos in Nigeria.^[9] While obtaining her Ph.D. in 1977, she joined the Institute of International Affairs at the University of Lagos.^[8]

Ogwu started her career as an assistant lecturer, at the Nigerian National War College^[8] and the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS).^[4] She subsequently joined the NIIA as a lecturer, obtaining a research fellowship during which she authored her first book, Nigerian Foreign Policy: Alternative Futures (Macmillan, 1986).^[10][11]

She eventually headed the research department in International Politics, leading to her role as the first female director general.^[12] Ogwu additionally focused on the developing countries of Latin America, enabling an investigation into the possibilities of a proficient South-South relationship between Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.^[13] She held a visiting fellowship at the University of London's Institute of Latin American Studies and was published extensively in Portuguese, Spanish, French and Croatian.^[14][15] She served on the United Nations Secretary General's advisory board on Disarmament Matters.^[16]

She became a voice for women's development and human rights.^[17] Her perspective spanned Asia Pacific, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa.^[13]

Ogwu died at a hospital in New York, on 13 October 2025, at the age of 79.^[18]