The World Bank has just approved the appointment of the American Keith Hansen (pictured) as the new country director for Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Somalia. The announcement was made by the institution in a press release issued on Monday, September 7.

Succeeding Colombia's Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, Keith Hansen will lead an active portfolio of more than 100 projects with a total investment of more than $13 billion. This appointment comes at a time when the World Bank has begun to reform its organizational structure to better serve Africa. In early July, the institution announced the creation of two new vice presidencies for the sub-Saharan region, one for West and Central Africa and the other for East and Southern Africa.

The context of the economic and health crisis linked to the coronavirus, which is prompting many African countries to seek the institution's help, should be one of the very first areas of focus for the new country director.

“Under Mr. Hansen’s leadership, the World Bank will work closely with the four countries to provide innovative products and services that respond to their diverse development challenges and contribute to achieving sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction, with a specific emphasis on COVID-19 recovery. His appointment comes at a time when the governments of Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, and Uganda are confronting both the immediate and longer-term health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis,” the World Bank statement read. 

As a reminder, Keith Hansen has held various positions within the World Bank Group, including Senior Advisor in the Office of the Managing Director of the Bank.

Moutiou Adjibi Nourou