The World Bank has appointed Chinese Qimiao Fan as the new Country Director for Rwanda, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda, effective September 1, 2024. The appointment was announced on Monday.
Qimiao Fan replaces Sahr John Kpundeh, a US national originally from Sierra Leone, who had served as Country Manager since September 2023.
“Fan, who has over 35 years of experience in development practice, will oversee the design and implementation of the World Bank’s support program for the four countries. The active portfolio consists of 102 projects totaling $17.2 billion,” read the press release from the World Bank.
A Chinese national, Qimiao Fan has more than 30 years of experience in the World Bank, where he worked in various countries and regions around the world.
Before this appointment, Qimiao Fan served as the World Bank representative for Cambodia, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.
He also previously served as Director of Strategy and Operations for the Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions Vice Presidency; Director of Strategy and Operations in the Office of the Managing Director for Development Policy and Partnerships; and most recently, as Director for Strategic and Corporate Initiatives.
Fan holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Birmingham, England. He has published on topics related to the investment climate, private sector development, finance, and transition economies.
He is based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Rwanda became a member of the World Bank on September 30, 1963.
Since then, the bank has provided about US$ 8.2 billion in support of different development programs in Rwanda, including human capital, infrastructure, agriculture, resilience, and private sector development.
Over the last decade, one million people have lifted themselves out of extreme poverty, capitalizing on a rapidly improving agricultural sector in which the International Development Association (IDA) has been proud to make substantial investments.
World Bank Appoints New Country Manager for Rwanda
