• Khalil Dinguizli becomes the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's (EBRD) first representative in Senegal.

• Senegal joined the EBRD as a shareholder in July 2025.

• Dinguizli will establish the bank's local presence and prepare for financing deployment.

Khalil Dinguizli, a Franco-Tunisian executive, has assumed the role of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD) inaugural representative in Senegal. The bank announced his appointment on September 16, 2025.

Based in Dakar, Mr. Dinguizli will direct the bank's in-country operations and establish its local presence. He expressed enthusiasm for the new role.

"I am delighted to assume responsibility for launching the EBRD's activities in Senegal," Dinguizli stated. "The country possesses considerable potential and ambition, and I look forward to working closely with our partners, clients, and stakeholders to create new opportunities, foster greener and more inclusive growth, and support sustainable development."

Dinguizli brings significant experience from both the EBRD and the broader banking sector. He holds degrees from the Institut des hautes études commerciales de Carthage and ESCP Business School in Paris. Before joining the EBRD in 2014, he spent a decade in investment banking at Crédit Agricole CIB in Paris. At the EBRD, he managed private financing in Tunisia, then served as interim head of the Tunisian office in 2020, and subsequently as head of operations in Lebanon from 2021 until July 2025, prior to his transfer to Senegal.

His appointment follows Senegal's entry into the EBRD's shareholding in July 2025. Senegal marks the fourth Sub-Saharan African shareholder for the bank, joining Nigeria, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire.

The integration process began in October 2023 when Senegal submitted its membership application to the EBRD. The London-based multilateral bank's Board of Governors approved this application in February 2024. Currently, Senegal participates in the institution's governance but cannot directly receive its financing as a beneficiary country; its eligibility application remains under review.

The EBRD gained the ability to operate in Sub-Saharan Africa following an amendment to Article 1 of its founding treaty in Uzbekistan in 2023. The bank identifies strong potential in the region, particularly in the energy, infrastructure, agriculture, and financial services sectors. Senegal represents a strategic anchor point for the bank. A permanent representative in Dakar aims to facilitate dialogue with authorities, private investors, and development partners for future investment projects.

This article was initially published in French by Chamberline Moko

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum