The World Bank on Monday announced the appointment of Qimiao Fan as the new country director for four East African countries including Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, and Rwanda.
The new country director is to oversee the design and implementation of 103 projects amounting to US$17.2 billion under the World Bank’s support initiative to the four countries.
With his extensive field experience, Fan brings a wealth of expertise to this new role. He started working for the Bretton Woods Institution information, before taking a leave in 1998 up to 2002. He then served as the leader of the World Bank Institute’s Investment Climate Program.
Before his current assignment, Qimiao Fan held leadership positions in different countries and regions across the world. Before his appointment, he served as the country director for Nepal, Bangladesh, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, and Cambodia.
He obtained a PhD in Economics from the University of Birmingham in England. Also, he has worked as a researcher and has published articles on various topics including transition economies, investment climate, climate, finance, and private sector development.
Fan’s appointment signals the lender’s commitment to mend the relationship with Kenya. Recently, the World Bank’s reputation in Kenya has been fraught with open rebuke as the country’s public debt increases. In the recent youth-led demonstration in the country, Kenyans linked the faulty Finance Bill 2024 to the World Bank and IMF influence.
Mr. Fan faces an uphill task to improve Kenyan’s perception of the World Bank. He replaces Keith Hansen who has been the country director for Kenya and other East African countries since 2020.
