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A high-level delegation of nine World Bank Group Executive Directors is arriving in Pakistan today after almost 20 years to discuss economic development projects, investment opportunities, and strategies for effectively implementing the recently approved $40 billion Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for the next decade.
According to a report by Daily Jang, the delegation of World Bank Executive Directors (which represents 88 member countries on the World Bank’s Board of Directors) will hold important discussions with senior government officials and visit various provinces to review development initiatives and formulate strategies.
During their visit, the Executive Directors will meet the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, the Minister for Economic Affairs Division, the Minister of Planning, and the Minister of Energy. The discussions will focus on the country’s economic development projects, investment opportunities, and strategies for effectively implementing the $40 billion CPF for the next decade.
The delegation will visit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sindh, and Punjab, as well as meet with representatives from Balochistan. The visits are aimed at providing a vision of local development challenges and opportunities in line with the World Bank’s commitment to promoting sustainable economic growth in every region of the country.
The group will meet with business leaders, academics, and civil society representatives.
The World Bank Group, which consists of five multilateral development institutions—the International Development Association (IDA), the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)—plays a key role in shaping global economic policies.
The delegation’s visit is significant for Pakistan in the context of the recently approved CPF, as the opportunity has become a model for other countries following the World Bank’s adoption of a new Country Engagement Framework. The strategic partnership aims to enhance economic resilience, support private sector development, and improve infrastructure across the country.
A source claimed that Pakistan has received a lot of attention from the CPF at the World Bank headquarters, with other countries looking at it as a benchmark for their economic cooperation with the World Bank Group.
The visiting executive directors will focus on developing business plans in the coming years and ensuring their effective implementation, reinforcing the World Bank’s long-term commitment to Pakistan’s economic transformation.
The visiting group of executive directors includes Abdelhak Bidjoui of Algeria, representing 8 countries.
Zainab Ahmed from Nigeria, representing South Africa and Angola; Beatrice Messer from Switzerland, representing the nations of Central Asia and Switzerland. Mr. Robert Bruce Nicholl from Australia, represents 14 countries including South Korea, New Zealand, and Australia.
Teresa Solbus from Spain, representing 7 South American countries including Mexico and Costa Rica; Mr. Paul Bonmartin from France; Lonkho Luliko Megagola from Eswatini, representing 21 countries on the African continent including Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Ethiopia; Marlene Suzi Nzingo from the Central African Republic, representing 23 African countries; and Mr. Tauqir Shah, Executive Director, representing Pakistan and 7 other countries; the group is also visiting with World Bank Group Company Secretary and Vice President Mercy Tembin.
