Former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has joined the international advisory board of the European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East.

Jonathan’s appointment to the ECAM Council was confirmed on Wednesday in a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Ikechukwu Eze.

By this appointment, Dr. Jonathan becomes the first sub-Saharan African leader to serve on the board of the ECAM Council, a non-profit organisation established with the purpose of promoting and developing relations between the countries of Europe, Africa and the (Middle East and North Africa) region, with Italy playing a leading role.

Other members of the Advisory board are Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister, José Manuel Barroso, former President of the European Commission, Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf, Secretary-General GCC Gulf Cooperation Council and Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union Commission (AUC).

Addressing Jonathan in a letter, the ECAM Council wrote: “For your information, the Chairman of ECAM Council Dr. Kamel Ghribi is well acquainted with Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. We are setting up an international advisory board of ECAM Council and Dr. Ghribi would be delighted to welcome him on board.”

It noted that the Council was “founded with the purpose of developing realistic, effective and long-lasting solutions for more sustainable healthcare systems, with a special focus on the common issues affecting the Southern hemisphere of the globe.”

Dr. Jonathan will be attending this year’s ECAM Council’s high-level advisory board meeting holding in Italy on 30th May.