Business and Finance

Malawi has new World Bank rep

Malawi has new World Bank rep

The World Bank has appointed Firas Raad as the new country manager for Malawi.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Bretton Woods institution said Raad will oversee the World Bank portfolio in Malawi, which consists of 30 International Development Association (IDA) stakeholders, lending operations with a total commitment amount of $3.39 billion, of which eight projects worth $862.28 million are regional.

The projects, according to the statement, are complemented by $161.19 million in trust funds (both bank and recipient executed).

In the statement, the World Bank says Raad has over 27 years of experience as a development and health policy professional working for the World Bank Group, the United Nations and with the Jordanian Government.

His previous positions in the World Bank include serving as country manager for South Sudan, Malaysia and Kuwait.

He also served as Head of Mission for the Office of the Quartet Representative in East Jerusalem (while on secondment from the World Bank) and as Human Development Coordinator for the GCC countries and Senior Health Specialist in the World Bank’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region.

Raad has a doctorate and master’s degree in International Health Policy and Economics from the Harvard School of Public Health; a Master’s Degree in International Relations (with a focus on Macroeconomics and Middle Eastern Studies) from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Johns Hopkins University.