According to a press statement issued by the World Bank Nepal Office on Sunday, she will visit World Bank-assisted projects in western Nepal and meet with senior officials of the Government of Nepal, including Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Finance Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai during her stay. [break]
Dr Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian national, returned to the World Bank Group in November 2007 from her previous job as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria from June to August 2006 and as Minister of Finance and Economy of Nigeria from July 2003 to June 2006.
During this time she was the Head of Nigeria’s much-acclaimed Presidential Economic team responsible for implementing a comprehensive, home-grown economic reform program that stabilized the macro-economy and tripled the growth rate to an average 6 percent per annum over 3 years. Her achievements as Finance Minister garnered international recognition for improving Nigeria’s financial stability and fostering greater fiscal transparency to combat corruption, said the statement.
Previously, Dr Okonjo-Iweala pursued a 21-year career as a development economist at the World Bank, where she held the post of vice president and corporate secretary.
The World Bank Group provided its first development credit to in 1969. Since then it has provided Nepal with assistance of nearly US $1.79 billion. The Bank is currently supporting the implementation of 17 development projects across Nepal, with investments of US $843 million. The International Finance Corporation, the World Bank’s private sector lending arm, also has investments of US $38 million in seven projects.
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