The World Bank has appointed Ndiamé Diop to serve as its Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, effective May 1, 2025. Diop will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, a location chosen to ensure closer proximity to clients and improved service delivery. His role involves overseeing a regional portfolio of nearly 400 projects valued at over $76 billion, in addition to managing a program that includes analytic work, technical assistance, and policy advising across 26 countries.
According to the World Bank, "Under Diop's leadership, the World Bank will continue to work closely with clients and partners to advance strategic priorities in the region, including job creation, energy access, digital connectivity, regional integration, health, water and sanitation, and education — all of which underpin poverty reduction and spur economic transformation in the region." Diop is also tasked with guiding initiatives aimed at addressing the causes of fragility, conflict, and violence to promote community resilience.
Diop brings over 25 years of diverse experience across multiple regions, including East Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. His previous work includes significantly increasing World Bank financing to the Philippines, aimed at bolstering economic reforms and improving various sector outcomes. In his most recent capacity, Diop served as Country Director for Nigeria, overseeing a $17 billion portfolio and directing the future Nigeria program to enhance economic growth via policy reforms and improvements in digital connectivity, financial access for firms, and agribusiness.
Ndiamé Diop is academically distinguished with a Ph.D. in Economics and has contributed extensively to scholarly publications focusing on fiscal policy, growth, monetary policy, and economic diversification, among other topics. He is multilingual, fluent in French, English, and Wolof, with intermediate proficiency in Arabic and Bahasa (Indonesian).
Diop succeeds Victoria Kwakwa, who retired at the end of March 2025.