A Senegalese national, Dr. Ndiamé Diop, has officially begun his new post as the World Bank’s Country Director for Nigeria, succeeding Shubham Chaudhuri, who recently finished his term.
This was disclosed in a statement by World Bank on Monday July 8, 2024.
Prior to his new role, Dr. Diop was the World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, based in Manila. During his tenure, he significantly increased the Bank’s lending to the Philippines, more than tripling support for critical economic reforms and bridging gaps in sectors such as nutrition, stunting, healthcare, social protection delivery, education, agriculture, and digital connectivity.
In his new post, Dr. Diop is expected to use his broad knowledge to promote Nigerian development and economic progress, building on his predecessor’s initiatives.
In his remarks, Dr. Diop stated “I am most excited to be leading the World Bank’s program in Nigeria, especially at this critical time when Nigeria has a significant opportunity to make progress towards improving its economy and delivering development outcomes for its citizens. I look forward to deepening our partnership with the Government of Nigeria at the Federal and States level by ensuring quality technical and financial support which will help accelerate progress for Nigeria’s development priorities,” said Dr. Ndiamé Diop.
“Nigeria is a dynamic and vibrant country which is significant for the entire sub region. The World Bank Group is most committed to working with the Government, development partners and citizens to realize a thriving economy where jobs and economic prospects are created, and millions of Nigerians are lifted out of poverty.”
In his new role, Dr. Diop will manage the World Bank’s Nigeria team, facilitating policy discourse and developing collaborations with the government and key stakeholders. He will oversee the delivery and implementation of both loan and non-lending assistance to the country.
Dr. Diop has substantial leadership experience at the World Bank, having previously served as Head of the Macroeconomics, Trade, and Investment section for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, based in Jakarta and Bangkok, as well as Lead Economist for Indonesia, Jordan, and Lebanon. In addition, he worked as a Country Economist in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the Bank’s Resident Representative in Tunisia from 2007 to 2010. In 2000, he joined the World Bank as a Young Professional in Washington, DC.
He is an accomplished economist who has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and books on fiscal policy and growth, monetary policy and inflation, macroeconomic policies, resilience to unexpected capital inflows, natural resource abundance, Dutch disease, and economic diversification.
