World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region Visits Benin

COTONOU, September 8, 2008 — World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region, Ms. Obiageli Katryn Ezekwesili, will pay an official visit to Benin from September 11–13, 2008.

The main objective of this visit is to strengthen the partnership between the World Bank and Benin. During her stay in Benin, Ms. Ezekwesili will discuss current efforts to boost economic growth for poverty reduction with the country’s authorities. Discussions will also focus on bolstering the World Bank’s program in Benin, and how the institution can best help the country to address the challenges it faces.

Meetings with the country’s highest authorities are not the only items on the visit agenda. The Vice President is a proponent of dialogue with all of the socioeconomic development actors in the countries she visits. To this end, a number of meetings are planned with development partners, civil society, the private sector, and the press to discuss matters relevant to the future of the entire African continent.

Ms. Ezekwesili arrives in Benin as part of a tour that has taken her to Ghana, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo respectively. In Ghana, she participated in the High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Africa. Benin is the final stop on the Vice President’s Africa tour.

Obiageli Ezekwesili, a Nigerian national, joined the World Bank as Vice President for the Africa Region in May 2007. Throughout her career, she has gained a wealth of experience in the public and private sectors, and in civil society. She has held a number of positions, including: (i) Auditor and management consultant; (ii) Director for Africa, Transparency International; (iii) Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria with responsibility for Budget Monitoring and the Price Intelligence Unit; (iv) M inister of Solid Minerals Development of Nigeria; and (v) Minister of Education of Nigeria.

The Vice President’s visit is intended to strengthen the partnership between the World Bank and Benin.

 

For more information on the World Bank’s activities in Sub-Saharan Africa, please visit:
http://web.worldbank.org/africa

For information on the World Bank’s activities in Benin, please visit:
www.worldbank.org/benin