Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
Delivers the 19th Chief Albert Luthuli
Memorial Lecture
UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU NATAL,
DURBAN, KWAZULU NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA
Africa.com livestreamed the 19th Chief Albert Luthuli Memorial Lecture, featuring Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), on Thursday, 20 November 2025. The event was hosted by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, the Luthuli Foundation, and the Luthuli Museum, in partnership with the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a globally renowned economist and international development leader with more than four decades of experience shaping global finance and trade policy. In 2021, she made history as the first woman and the first African to serve as Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), where she leads efforts to make global trade more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient. Before joining the WTO, she served twice as Finance Minister of Nigeria, where she implemented major economic reforms, negotiated landmark debt relief agreements, and helped stabilize the country’s economy.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala’s distinguished career also includes 25 years at the World Bank, where she rose to the position of Managing Director of Operations. She has chaired and advised numerous global organizations, including the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, the African Union’s COVID-19 Special Envoy Team, and the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. A visionary advocate for development and equity, she continues to champion the role of trade and good governance in improving lives and strengthening economies across the world.
Honoring Chief Albert Luthuli
The annual Chief Albert Luthuli Memorial Lecture celebrates the enduring legacy of Chief Albert Luthuli, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, humanitarian, and President of the African National Congress (ANC) during the height of South Africa’s struggle against apartheid.
On 30 October 2025, a High Court inquest into his death — 58 years later — ruled that he was murdered by the apartheid security police.
Judge Nompumelelo Hadebe of the KwaZulu-Natal High Court overturned the 1967 inquest into Chief Albert Luthuli’s death, ruling that he was murdered by apartheid security police. Rather than dying in a train accident, the court found that Luthuli suffered a fractured skull, cerebral hemorrhage and brain concussion consistent with an assault, and that his death was “directly attributable” to the actions of the security branch in concert with employees of the South African Railways. (iol.co.za)
Chief Luthuli’s moral leadership, courage, and steadfast commitment to justice continue to inspire generations in South Africa and beyond.