The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, has appointed Ms Vera Songwe as the first female Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

A statement on the commission’s website on Monday said that Songwe is a Cameroonian economist and a banking executive.

It also said that she was the first woman to ever be appointed to the position.

Songwe has been working as the International Finance Corporation’s regional director for Africa covering West and Central Africa since 2015.

She is also a non-resident Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institute: Global Development and Africa Growth Initiative (since 2011).

The commission said she would be bringing to the position a longstanding track record of policy advice and result oriented implementation in the region, coupled with a strong strategic vision for the region.

Songwe was previously Country Director for Senegal, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Mauritania at the World Bank (2012-2015).

She was also the Adviser to the Managing Director of the World Bank for Africa, Europe, Central Asia and South Asia Regions (2008-2011) and Lead Country Sector Coordinator (2005-2008), it added.