Professor Ngozi Eunice Egbuna, a leading economist and former Director-General of the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI), has been named recipient of the 2025 AMTY Academic of the Year Award.
Organisers of the AMTY Awards said Egbuna was selected in recognition of her contributions to economic research, regional integration and academic development.
Egbuna, Director of the International Centre for Regional Integration and Trade Research (ICRITR) at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, is also Nigeria’s first World Trade Organisation (WTO) Chair.
She currently serves as a visiting professor at the African University of Science and Technology, Abuja.
According to the organisers, the award will be presented on the 18th of July 2026, at the fifth edition of the AMTY Awards in Awka, Anambra State.
In a notification letter signed by Chairman of the Planning Committee, Rev. Sr. Prof. Eugenia Adaoma Igwedibia, and Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Anambra State Council, Dr Emeka Odogwu, the organisers described Egbuna as a trailblazing Nigerian economist and a role model in academia.
They noted that her emergence as the first WTO Chair in Nigeria marked a milestone in advancing global trade research and policy engagement in the country.
Egbuna, who retired from WAMI after decades of service on secondment from the Central Bank of Nigeria, has over 30 years’ experience spanning central banking, monetary policy and regional economic integration in West Africa.
Her contributions include facilitating the linkage of the Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) within the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ), aimed at promoting intra-regional trade using local currencies.
The organisers also credited her with attracting the International Centre for Regional Integration and Trade Research to Nnamdi Azikiwe University and driving postgraduate programmes in international trade.
They added that the AMTY Awards recognise individuals and organisations that have brought distinction to Anambra State through notable achievements. Past recipients include figures in business, academia, religion and entertainment.
Egbuna is a member of the Nigerian Economic Society and a fellow of the Nigerian Statistical Association, with several academic publications to her credit.
Leave a comment