Ajit Karn
During the global listening tour, Ajay Banga will travel to Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe in the coming weeks in order to engage with key World Bank shareholders, including borrowing countries, and other stakeholders in order to gather feedback that will help shape his vision for the Bank.
During his visit to Africa, Banga will meet with government officials, leaders of multilateral organisations, and members of civil society to discuss the World Bank’s most important tasks, such as alleviating extreme poverty, supporting inclusive growth, combating climate change, and addressing fragility and pandemics.
According to the press release, during his trip Ajay Banga will utilise his experience living and working in emerging markets and his expertise in forging public-private partnerships to mobilise investments and action to address challenges.
According to a press release from the United States Department of the Treasury, Banga, if elected, will take an evidence-based approach to delivering on the Bank’s core mission of ending extreme poverty and expanding shared prosperity, while also evolving the Bank’s approach to address key global priorities such as climate change.
Banga will meet with senior government officials, leaders of the African Development Bank, and civil society organisations working on the ground to expand inclusive economic development during his March 6-7 visit to Côte d’Ivoire. He will visit a project supported by the World Bank in Abidjan to discuss how the Bank’s infrastructure investments foster sustainable economic growth.
On March 8, he will meet with government officials and members of civil society. Banga will also visit the Kenya Climate Innovation Center, a project supported by the World Bank, according to a press release from the US Department of Treasury. During his visit, Banga will emphasise the intertwined challenges and opportunities associated with achieving fundamental economic development goals and combating climate change.
Congratulations to Mr Ajay Banga on being nominated to lead @WorldBank. India supports Mr Banga's nomination and looks forward to his leadership of the @WorldBank. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/Enntoe8ECH
— Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) March 2, 2023
According to the US Department of the Treasury, the Kenya Climate Innovation Center offers incubation, capacity building, and financing options to new, small and medium-sized business ventures and Kenyan entrepreneurs who are developing innovations to address climate change challenges.
Earlier in February, former Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga was nominated by US President Joe Biden to lead the World Bank. Biden noted in his statement that Banga has spent over three decades building and managing global companies that create jobs and attract investment to developing nations.
Also read this:‘Ready to talk to Army chief for betterment for Pakistan’: Imran Khan
Biden’s statement was as follows: “Ajay is uniquely qualified to lead the World Bank at this critical time in history. He has spent more than three decades establishing and managing global companies that create jobs and attract investment to developing economies, as well as guiding organisations through periods of fundamental change. He has extensive experience managing people and systems and collaborating with global leaders to achieve results.”
