Ousmane Dione. — Photo worldbank.org

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Ousmane Dione became the country director for the World Bank (WB) in Viet Nam on September 12.

The WB said, in a press release late last week, that Ousmane is a Senegalese national who joined the bank as a water resources management specialist in 2000.

He has since held a number of leadership and operational positions in Africa, South Asia, Latin America, East Asia and the Pacific Regions.

His most recent post was as practice manager for East Asia and the Pacific Region in water global practices, where he was based in Manila, Philippines.

In his new position, Ousmane will prioritise managing Viet Nam's smooth graduation from the International Development Association (IDA), a financial institution under the WB Group that offers concession loans to the world's poorest developing countries.

He will also prioritise strengthening the partnership and close co-operation with the Vietnamese government, and deepening the WB's subnational engagements.

His other top priority will be to work closely with Viet Nam and development partners to carry forward the vision and recommendations of the Việt Nam 2035 report.

Ousmane's predecessor, Vitoria Kwakwa, worked as the WB country director in Viet Nam for seven years. She was appointed the bank's regional vice president for East Asia and Pacific Region on April 15. — VNS