Africa-Press – Togo. Although he is preparing to leave the reins of the WB next June, a year before the end of his mandate, David Malpass nevertheless intends to complete his mission on a symbolic note. Which will therefore rhyme with Africa.
It is in sub-Saharan Africa that the president of the largest multilateral development institution will make his last trip as part of his duties, four years after making his first official visit as president of the World Bank, in Africa, in Madagascar.
Unprecedented visit to the Sahel
The American will first go to Niamey, as part of an unprecedented official visit from March 29 to 31. On this occasion, David Malpass will meet Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum with whom he will discuss the development program and the support that the World Bank Group provides to the country and, more broadly, to the region. He will also participate in a briefing on security in the Sahel with the Prime Minister, Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou and several members of the government.
But the highlight of the WB President’s visit to Niamey – the first in the Sahel – will be his
In any case, and according to our information, the choice of Niger, which alone brings together the majority of the challenges that the WB intends to tackle (security, demography, climate, education) is not insignificant. As a reminder, over the past ten years, the World Bank Group claims to have more than quadrupled its resources in the Sahel, and mobilized more than 8.5 billion dollars between 2020 and 2023, which makes it the first contributor to the development of the region.
Food security in Togo
After Niamey, David Malpass will travel to Togo for a visit of less than 48 hours from March 31 to April 1. Core target of the themes addressed in Lomé? Food security, growth and resilience in the countries of the Gulf of Guinea.
Here again, the American leader will take his first steps in the country, where he had met President Faure Gnassingbe on the occasion of the last annual meetings of the World Bank and the IMF in October 2022.
During a working meeting on March 31, with the Prime Minister, Victoire Tomegah Dogbé, and several members of the government, the President of the WB will address security issues in the Gulf of Guinea countries, as well as the food crisis, to which fertilizers could be a sustainable solution. An official fertilizer reception ceremony will also be organized at the Port of Lomé, under the aegis of the Prime Minister, in the presence of the Ministers of Agriculture, Antoine Lekpa Gbegbeni, Maritime Economy, Kokou Edem Tengue, and Energy and Mines, Mila Aziable.
The visit will end in Togo, as in Niger, with a joint press conference with the Head of State.
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