The World Bank Group has announced the appointment of Ms. Alexandra Célestin as its new Country Manager for the Republic of Congo, effective October 1, 2025. The decision was made on August 18, 2025, and is part of ongoing efforts to unify leadership at the national level for the organization.
Ms. Célestin will represent several branches of the World Bank Group in her new position: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).
Her role will focus on three main priorities: "Maintain and strengthen good working relationships with government, private sector and other stakeholders. Oversee the preparation of the new Country Partnership Strategy, involving all relevant stakeholders; and Manage the country office and support staff, building on existing professionalism and team spirit."
A Haitian national, Ms. Célestin joined IFC in 2006 within its Financial Markets Department's Transactions Group. She later served as IFC’s Regional Financial Services Representative (FIG) for Anglophone West and Central Africa, based in Nigeria, where she contributed to expanding IFC’s activities in IDA countries as well as fragile, violence-affected, and conflict-affected states. Before joining IFC, she held senior positions in commercial banks in Haiti. She holds a Master of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Ms. Célestin replaces Ms. Louise Pierrette Mvono, who has returned to her home country to take on new responsibilities.
According to information from the World Bank Group’s website (https://www.worldbank.org/en/who-we-are), it is one of the largest global sources of funding and knowledge for developing nations. The group consists of five closely linked institutions: IBRD, IDA—which together form what is commonly referred to as "the World Bank"—as well as IFC, MIGA, and ICSID. Each institution plays a distinct role in reducing poverty and improving lives worldwide.