Hafez Ghanem

Vice president, World Bank

Hafez Ghanem, an Egyptian and French national, is the Vice President of the World Bank for Eastern and Southern Africa since July 1, 2020. A development expert with over 30 years of experience, Dr. Ghanem leads an active portfolio consisting of over 300 projects totaling more than $47 billion. Under his leadership, the World Bank supports inclusive growth and poverty reduction by financing projects that boost human capital, support private sector development and digital transformation, raise agricultural productivity and promote food security, improve access to infrastructure, build resilience to climate change, and promote regional integration. Intensifying assistance for fragile and conflict-affected states and promoting gender equality are core to his vision for the Africa Region.

Prior to his appointment as Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, Dr. Ghanem served as Vice President of the World Bank for the Africa Region (2018-2020) and Middle East and North Africa (2015 to 2018). Leading up to this, he was a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution in the Global Economy and Development program leading the Arab economies project, focused on the impact of political transition on Arab economic development.

He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Economics from the American University in Cairo and a PhD in Economics from the University of California, Davis. He is fluent in Arabic, English and French.

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