FAROUK BANNA TO STEER WORLD BANK MISSION IN CHAD AMID $2.7 BILLION DEVELOPMENT PUSH

Farouk Mollah Banna Appointed as World Bank’s Country Lead in Chad.

World bank Leadership Chad Partnership.
Farouk Mollah Banna
Farouk Mollah Banna


The World Bank has appointed Togolese-American engineer and development expert, Farouk Mollah Banna, as its new Resident Representative in Chad. Banna is stepping into the role at a critical time, with Chad grappling with pressing development challenges and managing an active World Bank portfolio valued at over $2.7 billion.

Banna brings over 23 years of international development experience to the post, with a distinguished career that spans Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa. His work has focused on transformative sectors such as infrastructure, energy, education, and governance reform. Before this appointment, he was based in Mali, where he led World Bank operations across the Central Sahel region, including projects directly impacting Chad.

With a background in engineering from the University of Lomé and a postgraduate degree from the University of North Carolina, Banna’s technical and policy acumen positions him to tackle some of Chad’s most entrenched development hurdles. These include widespread food insecurity, low electrification rates, youth unemployment, and weak public service delivery systems.

The World Bank emphasized that Banna’s appointment is part of a broader commitment to ensuring responsive, country-driven programming in fragile regions. His portfolio in Chad will cover strategic sectors such as agriculture, education, digital innovation, social protection, and energy. Stakeholders say his dual citizenship and multicultural outlook will help bridge gaps between local realities and global solutions.

Under his leadership, the Bank is expected to strengthen partnerships with the Chadian government, civil society, and international donors. A particular focus will be placed on improving the implementation of ongoing programs, many of which target rural electrification, gender equity in education, infrastructure development, and social safety nets for vulnerable groups.

Analysts also note that Banna’s engineering background is likely to sharpen the Bank’s oversight of cross-sectoral projects, ensuring technically sound and efficient execution. He is also expected to champion data-driven policymaking and local community engagement to improve project outcomes.

His appointment is seen as a reaffirmation of the World Bank’s strategy to maintain a visible, localized presence in the Sahel, where complex development and security issues require agile, in-country leadership.

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