29 January 2008
Robert B. Zoellick will begin this week his first official visit to Africa as President of the World Bank Group. He will travel to Mauritania, Liberia, Ethiopia, and Mozambique.
This visit follows a successful replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA) which will allow the Bank and its partners to expand and deepen their support to Africa, building on last year's record $5.7 billion commitment to Africa by IDA and another $1.6 billion by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Bank Group's private sector arm.
During his visit to Ethiopia, Mr. Zoellick will participate in the 10th Ordinary Assembly of the African Union (AU) as the first World Bank President to speak at a Summit of African heads of state and governments.
The AU and the World Bank are increasingly working together on a number of issues including regional integration, governance, post-conflict countries, and engaging the African Diaspora in the development of the continent. Mr. Zoellick's presence at the AU Summit will be an opportunity to further strengthen the relations between the two institutions.
Mr. Zoellick will also meet with African heads of state and the heads of other international institutions in Addis Ababa to discuss the Millennium Development Goals, agricultural development, and the impact of increased food prices on the poor.
Before arriving in Ethiopia, Mr. Zoellick will visit Mauritania and Liberia. In Mauritania, which stands as a bridge between Sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab World, Mr. Zoellick will meet with President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi and key government officials to discuss how the World Bank Group can support Mauritania's transition to a middle income country.
During his visit, Mr. Zoellick will also have an exchange with parliamentarians and representatives of civil society to learn more about the country's challenges. He will meet with the private sector and discuss the IFC and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)'s role in supporting Mauritania's growth agenda.
In Liberia, Mr. Zoellick's visit will focus on the development challenges facing the country and its efforts to promote growth, overcome poverty, and improve the Liberian people's living standards.
Mr. Zoellick will talk to beneficiaries of community projects, meet with Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and participate in a roundtable with Finance Ministers from Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Togo to discuss the bank support to post-conflict countries and the lessons learned from its work in Liberia.
He will meet with donor representatives; and discuss the Bank Group's contribution to private sector development in Liberia.
After attending the AU Summit in Addis, Mr. Zoellick will travel to Mozambique where he will meet with President Armando Guebuza, as well as representatives from government, the private sector, and civil society. He will visit Sofala province and Maputo, and will have a chance to see the flood-affected areas of the Zambezi and Púngue rivers. He will also visit the Mozal aluminum plant and Temane gas distribution point for the city, both of which have been supported by the IFC and MIGA.
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