Born in 1964 in Ngozi province, Pierre Nkurunziza trained as a sports teacher.

BBC: Burundi profile

Earlier Friday, Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a widely respected former World Bank official, entered the race with the support of Nigeria, Angola and South Africa.

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The head of the central bank, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, and Finance Minister Ngozi Okonji-Iweala have been forced to explain their actions like none of their predecessors.

BBC: Viewpoint: 'Nigeria Spring' here to stay

Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- The mother of Nigeria's Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been released by her kidnappers, five days after she was seized from her home, Nigerian police said Friday.

CNN: Kidnappers free mother of Nigerian finance minister

Queen Rania of Jordan, co-chair of 1GOAL, Kailash Satyarthi, president of the Global Campaign for Education, former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director of the World Bank made statements at the event.

UNESCO: Post-Conflict and Post-Disaster Responses

The government finance team led by respected pair central bank governor Lamido Sanusi and Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala have long argued that removing the subsidy would free up money to invest in other sectors and relieve poverty.

BBC: Nigeria fury as fuel prices double after subsidy ends

She has also interviewed a number of African leaders and newsmakers including SA President Jacob Zuma, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Zimbabwean PM Morgan Tsvangarai, Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, First National Bank CEO Michael Jordaan, Prudential CEO Tidjane Thiam, Econet CEO Strive Masiywa, MTN CEO Sifiso Dabengwa and other business leaders from across the continent.

CNN: About