The World Bank has appointed Ndiame Diop as the new Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, effective May 1, 2025. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Diop will oversee a dynamic regional portfolio comprising nearly 400 projects, valued at over $76 billion, spanning 26 countries. This move reflects the World Bank’s commitment to enhancing its presence and service delivery in the region, ensuring closer collaboration with clients and partners.
Diop’s extensive experience, spanning over 25 years across various regions including East Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, positions him as a leader with a global perspective on development challenges. His prior roles have seen him lead impactful projects in diverse sectors, making significant strides in poverty reduction and economic transformation. As Country Director for Nigeria, Diop managed the World Bank’s largest portfolio in Africa, worth $17 billion, focusing on areas such as economic reforms, digital broadband connectivity, and agribusiness growth.
In his new role, Diop will guide the World Bank’s strategic efforts to address key challenges in Eastern and Southern Africa, including job creation, energy access, education, health, water and sanitation, and regional integration. These areas are central to driving sustainable economic growth and reducing poverty. Additionally, Diop will work to mitigate the drivers of fragility, conflict, and violence in the region, building resilience and fostering stronger communities.
Diop holds a Ph.D. in Economics and has a strong academic background, having published extensively on topics such as fiscal policy, monetary policy, economic diversification, and the effects of natural resource abundance. His multilingual fluency in French, English, and Wolof, along with intermediate proficiency in Arabic and Bahasa, further equips him to navigate the region’s diverse needs and challenges.
Diop succeeds Victoria Kwakwa, who retired on March 31, 2025, and steps into this crucial leadership role with the aim of advancing the World Bank’s mission of fostering sustainable development in Africa.
