HARARE – The World Bank (WB) Group has appointed Nathan Belete as the new country director for Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, where he will be in charge of a portfolio totalling around US$12bn in commitments for the four nations.
The World Bank claims that the assistance includes, among other things, support for the priority areas of gender, climate change, agriculture, and infrastructure.
“Mr Belete will be based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from where he will oversee a portfolio of about US$12,5 billion in total commitments for the four countries,” the global bank said in a statement.
He is an Ethiopian national with more than 25 years of experience working in Africa, East Asia, and South Asia as a development worker.
He was formerly located in Dakar and served as the World Bank’s Country Director for Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, The Gambia, and Cabo Verde.
He managed the WB‘s Food and Agriculture Global Practice in the East Asia and Pacific Region, located in Vietnam, from 2014 to 2019, before taking on his country director roles.
Prior to that, he served as Indonesia’s Sustainable Development Sector Manager for the WB.
According to the World Bank, “His career at the World Bank has included positions in the World Bank’s country offices in Nairobi, Beijing, and New Delhi with responsibilities for investments and technical assistance efforts in agriculture and rural development, among others.”
Meanwhile, the WB country manager in Zimbabwe, Ms. Marjorie Mpundu, has made it her top priority to keep advancing and putting into practice the Bank’s engagement strategy through trust-funded initiatives and technical assistance, including support for Zimbabwe’s COVID-19 response.
