MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Nigeria's Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo on Monday was appointed Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), OPEC said in a statement.
"His Excellency Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo of Nigeria assumed office today in his role as Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) at the OPEC Secretariat in Vienna, Austria," the statement read.
The statement added that Barkindo, who was expected to serve as the cartel's Secretary General for the next three years, replaced Abdalla Salem Badri, who had headed the organization since 2007.
The decision to replace Badri was made at the previous OPEC meeting in the Austrian capital of Vienna on June 2.