The African Development Bank Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Achraf TARSIM as Country Manager designated for Morocco.
Achraf, a Tunisian citizen, joined the Bank in 2009, as an economist in the Governance and Economic and Financial Reforms Department.
Prior to this appointment, Achraf was Regional Sector Manager - North Africa, responsible for Energy, Infrastructure and Financial Sector, leading sector dialogue with the six North African countries and designing new projects in these sectors. As a seasoned professional with deep knowledge of the Bank's operations, he was instrumental in launching transformative projects, leveraging synergies between reforms and Investments in a wide range of sectors with public and private stakeholders. In this role, Achraf led the structuring of over 20 new projects for an amount of $2.2 billion in Morocco (Industrialization and financial policy operation, Rabat Airport extension project, Electricity transmission project); Tunisia (Public-private partnership upstream support, financial sector reforms program, Electricity national grid modernization, Bizerte Bridge project); Egypt (Electricity sector reforms programme, railway modernization project, capital market development project); Mauritania (Central Bank institutional support), as well as other projects in the North African Region. He was also responsible for the implementation of one of the Bank's largest project portfolios.
Achraf brings to this role, broad background and extensive operational experience. He has designed and implemented a wide range of transactions in various sectors (industry, energy, mining, finance, governance, infrastructure etc.), in more than 20 African countries, ranging from middle-income to post-conflict countries. He has also participated in the designing and implementation of several Bank strategies, including the Governance Action Plan, the Financial Sector Development Strategy, and the Africa Industrialization Strategy. He has also contributed to several country strategy papers for the countries he has covered.
Prior to joining the Bank, Achraf worked in academia, consulting and governmental institutions, in public sector management, infrastructure development and private investment, notably in France and Belgium.
Commenting on his appointment, Ashraf said: "I am very delighted by this appointment and I thank President Adesina for the confidence bestowed upon me. Morocco is one of the Bank's key partners and I will do my utmost to further strengthen this very special partnership."
Achraf holds a post graduate diploma in International and Development Economics from Paris Panthéon - Sorbonne University (2005), France; a master's degree in economics from HEC University of Liège (2004) and a master's degree in Law from the University of Liège (2004), Belgium. He is a holder of a bachelor's degree from the Royal Military School of Belgium (2000) and has also completed several training courses and certifications, including in public finance at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Commenting on the appointment, Dr. Adesina said: "Achraf is a well-rounded and seasoned professional with an in-depth knowledge of the North Africa Region. His solid track record of field-level delivery and his broad experience in managing large portfolios will help the Bank accelerate delivery in Morocco."
