The United States President, Joe Biden, on Tuesday, appointed Nigerian-born lawyer, Enoh Ebong as the Acting Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).
The appointment meant a return to USTDA by Ms. Ebong, where she served in different roles from 2004 to 2019, most recently as the Agency’s General Counsel, and Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer.
This disclosure is contained in a statement which was issued by USTDA on Tuesday.
The statement says that as Acting Director, Ms. Ebong is expected to lead an agency that partners with the US private sector to develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in emerging economies while supporting US jobs through the export of US goods and services.
Ebong in a statement during her swearing-in ceremony, said, “It is an honour to return to USTDA. The opportunity to lead the Agency comes at a critical moment when the world is turning to the United States for leadership on clean energy and climate-smart infrastructure, as well as safe and secure ICT solutions.
“The Agency is one of the most effective, targeted and proven tools within the U.S. government. I’ve long believed in USTDA’s mission and program, which are fully aligned with the President’s vision of strengthening our economy and addressing climate as an essential component of American foreign policy and national security,’’ she said.
Ms. Ebong earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School, a Master of Arts in Communication from the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Arts in History, with Honors, from The University of Edinburgh, Scotland. She is a member of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Bar.
Before making a return to USTDA, Ms. Ebong served as the Head of Strategic Partnerships at the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream, where she drove the development of strategic partnerships to expand access to education, health, financial empowerment and entrepreneurship.
She had practised law at the Boston office of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris and Popeo, P.C., representing public and private companies in public offerings, financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance issues before moving to USTDA IN 2004.
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project preparation and partnership building activities that develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in partner countries.
It can be recalled that since his election to office as US President, Joe Biden had appointed Nigerian Americans, Funmi Olorunnipa Badejo and Osaremen Okolo as member of the office of White House Counsel and Covid-19 Policy Advisor respectively.
The US President had also last month selected a Nigerian-born attorney, Adewale Adeyemo, as the Deputy Treasury Secretary.
