The Ministry of Finance has said that the appointment of a Ugandan national to a senior job at the World Bank is an endorsement for locally bred capabilities and professionals.
Mr Emmanuel Nyirinkindi was last week appointed the vice president of Cross Cutting Solutions at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank group focusing on the private sector in developing countries. The appointment was announced in a statement made by World Bank Group President Mr David Malpass.
Mr Jim Mugunga, the spokesperson for the ministry of finance, said Uganda hopes to benefit from the appointment.
“As Uganda, we are a member of the World Bank, and IFC. We can leverage his understanding of the country and the opportunities that we can tap into as a country increase. For example he could be able to give us an opinion and engage on what would be of interest to us, we would appreciate guidance coming from him than from any other consultant,” Mr Mugunga said.
Mr Nyirinkindi had worked with the Ministry of Finance before he joined IFC in 2006 as a Senior Investment Officer in South Africa He also worked as the Regional Manager of IFC’s Public-Private Partnerships Advisory Services for Africa.
Prior to his appointment, he worked as the IFCs global director for Transaction advisory Services.
“He has over 14 years of IFC experience, working mainly across infrastructure development…he brings over 25 years of experience in infrastructure and private sector development, including his pre-IFC career leading Uganda’s infrastructure reform program in the ministry of Finance,”Mr Malpass, World Bank President.
Mr Nyirinkindi holds a Master’s in Business from the University of Kansas and a Bachelor of Commerce from Makerere University.
In his new position, he will responsible for advancing the IFC programmes through identifying opportunities for collaboration, among other roles