New World Bank Vice President to Visit Tanzania

 Newly appointed World Bank Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, Dr Victoria Kwakwa, will visit Tanzania on July 11-12, as the first stop on her maiden regional tour in this role.

Taking over from Dr Hafez Ghanem who has now retired, Dr Kwakwa will meet with Tanzania’s President, H.E Samia Suluhu Hassan in Dar es Salaam, and Zanzibar’s President H.E Hussein Mwinyi in Zanzibar. She will also meet with several Ministers and senior Government officials in both Mainland and Zanzibar, as well as Development Partners and representatives of Civil Society and the Private Sector. 

Dr Kwakwa will meet with project beneficiaries to hear their feedback on the support the World Bank has been providing to Tanzania. World Bank support to Tanzania is channeled through the International Development Association (IDA*) and is currently comprised of 24 national projects with a total net commitment of $6.1 billion and six regional projects with a net commitment of $780 million, together totaling to about $6.9 billion.

The key sectors supported under the national commitments are transport (32.5%); education (26.7%); water (9.7%); urban development (10.1%); social protection (7.6%); energy (5.4%); environment/natural resources (2.5%); digital development (2.5%); and governance and statistics (3%). Under the regional portfolio, the main sectors are energy (81%), education (14%) and environment (5%).

An economist and development expert with over 30 years of experience, Dr Kwakwa leads the Bank’s engagement with 26 countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa region. She oversees an active portfolio of 313 operations totaling $58 billion and an extensive program of cutting-edge analytic work, technical assistance, and policy advice.

At the core of Dr Kwakwa’s vision is a stable, integrated and resilient region with dynamic economies and prosperous societies in which all citizens, notably women, children and youth enjoy equality of opportunity. 

Under her leadership, the World Bank is providing vital support to countries as they face a series of complex, multifaceted challenges including the COVID-19 crisis, climate shocks, food- and energy-fueled inflation and rising debt levels. Her priorities include promoting private sector jobs and economic transformation, building human capital, strengthening climate resilience, agricultural productivity, and food security, and improving access to critical infrastructure. Reducing the drivers of fragility and conflict, promoting gender equality and regional integration cut across all these areas of work.

Prior to her appointment on July 1, 2022, Dr Kwakwa served as the Vice President for Corporate Strategic Initiatives, working closely with the World Bank Managing Director of Operations and other operational and corporate units on select high priority initiatives to enhance the World Bank’s operational delivery and impact. She also served as the Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific from April 2016 to August 2021, where she led the Bank’s engagement with 23 diverse clients ranging from countries on the cusp of high income, established middle income, to lower middle-income countries.

*The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world’s poorest countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world’s 76 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change to the 1.6 billion people who live in IDA countries. Since 1960, IDA has supported development work in 113 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $21 billion over the last three years, with about 61 percent going to Africa.