World Bank appoints country director

Mr Nathan Belete is an Ethiopian national and a development professional with over 25 years of work experience across Africa, East Asia, and South Asia, it said in a statement.

He was previously the WB’s country director for Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Senegal, based in Dakar.

Mr Belete will be based in Dar es Salaam from where he will oversee a portfolio of about $12.5 billion in total commitments for the four countries.

“This support covers priority areas of human capital, agriculture, infrastructure, private sector development, climate, and gender, among others,” it stated.

Prior to Mr Belete’s country director assignments, he managed the World Bank’s Food and Agriculture Global Practice in the East Asia and Pacific Region, based in Vietnam, from 2014 to 2019.

Prior to that, he was the sector manager for the WB’s Sustainable Development Department in Indonesia.

His career at the WB has included assignments in the WB’s country offices in Nairobi, New Delhi, and Beijing with responsibilities for investments and technical assistance activities in agriculture and rural development, among others.