World Bank taps Djibrilla Issa for five-country role

A major World Bank shake-up just placed a veteran Nigerien banker in charge of steering nearly six billion dollars across five West African nations from Dakar.

Djibrilla Issa's appointment

• The World Bank named Djibrilla Issa Division Director for Senegal, Mauritania, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, and The Gambia.
• Issa now leads engagement with governments and partners to push private-sector jobs through infrastructure, agribusiness, digital links, and human capital.

Background highlights

• Djibrilla Issa joined the World Bank in 2001 as a Financial Sector Specialist and climbed through senior roles.
• He previously managed the Finance, Competitiveness, and Investment practice for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

New mandate

• Focus sits on inclusive growth, economic transformation, and social inclusion across the region.
• Portfolio under Issa totals almost six billion dollars while he operates from Dakar, Senegal.