Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Ghana in Vienna, Excellency Matilda Aku Alomatu Osei-Agyeman, having been nominated by the African Group, was elected to chair the Forty-Second Session of the Programme and Budget Committee (PBC.42) of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), held in Vienna on June 22, 2026.
The election marks a significant milestone in Ghana’s engagement with UNIDO, representing both the first time Ghana has chaired the Programme and Budget Committee and the first time a Ghanaian representative has presided over the Committee since its establishment in 1985.
It also marks the first time since 2000 that a West African country has assumed the chairmanship of the Committee, following Nigeria’s chairmanship of the Sixteenth Session (PBC.16).
Although the African Group has previously held the chairmanship through Nigeria, Algeria, Ethiopia and Kenya only, Ghana has not previously occupied this position, making the election a notable achievement for both Ghana and the West African sub-region within UNIDO’s governance structures.
The development further reflects the confidence reposed in Ghana by both the African Group and the wider UNIDO membership and further underscores the country’s growing profile and constructive engagement within the Organisation.
It also provides an opportunity for Ghana to contribute to consensus-building on key programme, budgetary and oversight matters while advancing African priorities relating to industrialization, sustainable development and the implementation of the Fourth Industrial Development Decade for Africa (IDDA IV).
