The World Bank has appointed Qimiao Fan as the new Country Director for Rwanda, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda, effective September 1, 2024, the bank announced Monday.
Fan, who joined the World Bank in 1991, succeeds Keith Hansen, who had held the position since September 2020. With over 35 years of experience in development practice, Fan will oversee the bank’s support programs in the four countries, managing an active portfolio of 102 projects totaling $17.2 billion.
A Chinese national, Fan has served in leadership roles across various regions, including assignments as World Bank representative for Cambodia, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. He has also held strategic roles, such as Director of Strategy and Operations for the Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions Vice Presidency.
Before joining the World Bank, Fan worked as a researcher at the London School of Economics and the Jiangxi Institute of Finance and Economics in China. He also held senior executive roles in the private sector in China, including CEO and vice chairman of the board.
Fan holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Birmingham, England, and has published extensively on investment climate, private sector development, and transition economies. He will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Under the World Bank’s leadership structure, individual countries also have designated country managers.
