By Chisomo Phiri
The World Bank Group has announced the appointment of Malawian economist Dr. Khwima Nthara as its country manager for Papua New Guinea(PNG).
In a statement in our possession,the Group states that Dr. Nthara’s appointment will unify country-level leadership across the institution to better support Papua New Guinea’s public and private sector priorities.
“This newly created position provides a single point of contact for access to the full breadth of World Bank Group products and services and will enhance the institutions’ ability to address global challenges, and drive development with speed, efficiency, and impact.
“This unified leadership approach tremendously improves the WBG’s capacity to support PNG’s development ambitions.
“The introduction of this joint country representation is an important step towards building a stronger World Bank Group,” reads the statement in part.
Meanwhile, Nthara says the new role shows the trust that the group has in him, and it is also a positive development for Malawi.
“This will enable us to improve our scope, scale, and speed and therefore make us a better partner in supporting the government, the private sector, and ultimately, the people of Papua New Guinea,” he says.
Dr. Nthara has been World Bank Country Manager for Papua New Guinea since 2023.
He joined the World Bank Group in February 2005 as Country Economist for Malawi and has since held positions across the World Bank that include Country Manager for Liberia, where he was responsible for managing the Bank’s portfolio of 27 projects with a total commitment of US$1.4 Billion.
Before joining the World Bank,Dr. Nthara was Manager of Deloitte’s Development Consulting Practice, Manager of the UK-funded Malawi Trade and Poverty Program, and Economics Lecturer at the University of Malawi.
Dr. Nthara holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, a Masters’ Degree in Economics of Developing Countries from the same University, and a Bachelor of Social Science in Economics from the University of Malawi.
The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries.
Its bold vision is to create a world free of poverty.
The Group consists of the World Bank, including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA); the International Finance Corporation (IFC); the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
