Danzi has been working at the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross since 1996 and was ICRC regional director for Africa over the past four years.
She will take up her new post next May, succeeding Manuel Sager who headed the development agency for five years and taking retirement.
The 50-year old Danzi, who has Swiss and Nigerian citizenship, is the first woman at the helm of the SDC.
“She possesses the abilities necessary to develop international cooperation and to lead the SDC into the future,” Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told a news conferenceExternal link on Friday.
The SDC is the largest unitExternal link of the foreign ministry and has a staff of about 700, and an annual expenditure of CHF2 billion ($2 billion) in 2018.
Danzi said she wanted help promote Switzerland’s humanitarian tradition, the respect of human rights, poverty reduction and the preservation of natural resources.
“My hope is that all Swiss citizens are proud of the country’s international cooperation. This is something valuable and I want them to understand what it means so they can cherish it,” she said.
Switzerland to increase aid partnerships with private sector
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The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) plans to double the number of partnerships with the private sector in the next two years.
In Switzerland more people are being referred to electrical therapies or psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Are there similar approaches where you live?
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A Geneva-registered tourist plane grazed some ski mountaineers on Saturday on a glacier on the Swiss side of the Monte Rosa massif.
Sharp rise in reports of suspicious sports betting in Switzerland
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Last year the Intercantonal Gambling Supervisory Authority received 184 reports of suspicious activities in connection with 166 sports competitions.
Swiss fencers apologise for diplomatic scandal with Israel
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Two days after causing a diplomatic scandal at the U23 European Championships in Tallinn, the Swiss fencers responsible have published a jointly signed apology on Instagram.
Air in climbing gyms more polluted than on streets
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The concentration of potentially harmful chemicals in climbing gyms is sometimes higher than on busy roads, say researchers from Switzerland and Austria.
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Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) achieved slightly higher sales at the start of the year. However, profits fell sharply, partly due to the late Easter.
Switzerland’s first padel court on water built in Arosa
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Switzerland's first padel tennis court on water will open on the Obersee in Arosa, canton Graubünden, for the 2025 summer season.
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Wine consumption in Switzerland fell by almost 8% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Swiss wines are particularly affected by the decline.
Jackie Chan to be honoured for life’s work at Locarno Film Festival
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Martial artist Jackie Chan will receive an Honorary Leopard, a lifetime achievement award, from the Locarno Film Festival in southern Switzerland in August.
Novartis raises forecast again after strong Q1 results
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Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis has continued the strong pace of growth of recent quarters in the first three months of 2025.
Swiss canton holds first general meeting on winegrowing
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More than 250 professionals attended the first general meeting of the Valais wine industry on Monday in Conthey, western Switzerland.
Is there a place for culture in Swiss development aid?
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Switzerland is changing its approach to development cooperation. Many are wondering where that leaves projects promoting culture abroad.
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Swiss development aid should concentrate more on the needs of its partner countries and less on stopping migration, says the OECD.
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The Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC) will focus its work over the next four years on migration and will untertake assessments.
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As part of his five-day trip to Africa, Swiss Foreign Affairs Minister Ignazio Cassis visited a copper mine. Now he faces criticism.
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