Washington, DC — On the sidelines of the 2024 Annual Meetings of the World Bank/International Monetary Fund, Liberia's Finance and Development Planning Minister, Hon. Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has called for increased employment opportunities for Africans at the World Bank.

Hon. Ngafuan made the appeal while chairing the 28th Statutory Meeting of the Africa Group 1 Constituency Panel of the World Bank Group, held on Tuesday, October 22, in Washington, DC.

The panel meeting was convened in preparation for the Africa Group 1 Constituency meeting, which comprises 22 African member countries of the World Bank, scheduled for Wednesday, October 23, 2024.

The panel, chaired by Liberia, includes Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Ethiopia.

"There is a need for Africans to be given greater opportunities to work with the Bank at all levels," Ngafuan stressed.

A significant topic of discussion was the slow pace of World Bank project implementation in member countries, reflected in low disbursement rates. Panel members cited several contributing factors, including delays in legislative ratification of World Bank loan agreements, challenges in setting up project implementation units, issues with meeting resettlement action plans, and counterpart funding obligations.

Minister Ngafuan encouraged the Executive Director's office to facilitate experience-sharing among constituency members, where countries with better disbursement rates can share insights with lower-performing countries. The aim is to accelerate World Bank project implementation across the constituency.

"Let's find a way to share experiences as a constituency," Ngafuan urged the panel members.

World Bank Group Executive Director, Dr. Floribert Ngaruko, updated the panel on the implementation of the medium-term strategy, the IDA21 replenishment, human resource matters, including the recruitment of the Alternate Executive Director, and staffing within the Executive Director's office.

In his closing remarks, Finance Minister Ngafuan thanked the World Bank and the panel members for their commitment and service. He also urged the incoming Executive Director to actively follow up on the concerns and recommendations that emerged from the panel meeting.

The Africa Group 1 Constituency Panel Meeting is a select team of Governors, including the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson, tasked with steering constituency affairs for a two-year rotational term.