Fatma Samoura, a United Nations veteran of two decades, has been appointed as secretary general of FIFA – the first woman and African to hold the post.

Samoura’s appointment was revealed during the 66th FIFA Congress. The current United Nations resident/humanitarian coordinator will now undergo an eligibility check before taking up the post in mid-June.

She replaces Jerome Valcke, who was banned from football-related activities for 12 years after FIFA’s independent ethics committee investigated allegations of misconduct related to World Cup ticket sales. Valcke has maintained his innocence throughout.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Samoura – who is from Senegal, West Africa – was a “woman with international experience and vision” and had “worked on some of the most challenging issues of our time”.

“She has a proven ability to build and lead teams, and improve the way organisations perform,” added Infantino. “Importantly for FIFA, she also understands that transparency and accountability are at the heart of any well-run and responsible organisation.”

In addition to Samoura’s appointment, the world football governing body also discussed its “tailor-made development programme” in which it has committed to provide US$5m (£3.5m, €4.4m) investment for each member association per four-year cycle.

Member associations receiving the grants will be required to publish independent audits of their finances as part of new anti-corruption regulations.