Hafez Ghanem, an Egyptian and French national, is the Vice President of the World Bank for Eastern and Southern Africa since July 1, 2020. A development expert with over 30 years of experience, Dr. Ghanem leads an active portfolio consisting of over 300 projects totaling more than $47 billion.

Prior to his appointment as Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, Dr. Ghanem served as Vice President of the World Bank for the Africa Region (2018-2020) and Middle East and North Africa (2015 to 2018). Leading up to this, he was a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution in the Global Economy and Development program leading the Arab economies project, focused on the impact of political transition on Arab economic development. Dr. Ghanem began his career at the World Bank in 1983 as a Young Professional. Over the span of 24 years (1983-2007), he worked on Bank operations and initiatives in over 20 countries in Africa, Europe and Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa, and Southeast Asia. His previous positions at the World Bank include: Country Director for Nigeria where he led a multinational team of more than 100 professionals, managing the Bank’s loan portfolio of some $1.5 billion; Country Director for Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles; and Sector Leader for Public Economics and Trade Policy in the Europe and Central Asia Region.

Between 2007 and 2012, he served as the Assistant Director-General at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).  He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Economics from the American University in Cairo and a PhD in Economics from the University of California, Davis. He is fluent in Arabic, English and French.