OPEN LETTER TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE WORLD BANK IN SUPPORT OF DR. NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA’S CANDIDACY FOR PRESIDENT

Dear Honourable Board of Directors,

As the Graduates of the NEPAD Business Foundation African Leadership Programme (NBF-ALP) we proactively contribute towards changes that support good governance. We collaborate in ways that aim at ensuring inclusiveness and improving institutions to support growth in developing nations. As future leaders we are conscious that identifying and supporting competent and deserving candidates is an important element in our work.

We are concerned with the historical practice among European and American representatives to preserve the Presidency of the World Bank among candidates from these regions. This practice erodes global inclusiveness, ignores emerging regions such as Africa, and overlooks formidable and competent leaders. As a consequence, the tacit arrangement threatens and weakens the World Bank’s credibility in low and middle-income countries, the current and future drivers of global economic development. There are candidates that are as good if not better than those appointed by tradition, such as Dr. Okonjo-Iweala.

Unlike other candidates, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has a long history with the Bank starting as a development economist and more recently serving as its Managing Director. She was instrumental in various reform initiatives on economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle-East, and East Asia. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has the respect of many leaders of low and middle-income countries, and the international community. She is embedded in relevant social networks that will facilitate the implementation of real-world policies. Moreover, if the Bank is serious about gender equity, as it professes in many of its activities, then appointing Dr. Okonjo-Iweala will be a reaffirmation of your commitment to these ideals. To this end, we resolutely support Dr. Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy for President of the World Bank. It’s an opportunity to implement the World Bank’s international strategy through a new brand of African leadership.

In many ways the Bank’s main challenge in low and middle-income countries is to root-out corruption at the level of governments and the private sector. Your credibility to do so depends on your willingness to acknowledge and build relationships with these very countries and acknowledge the rich human capital and capability of these nations. If the Bank looks beyond its outdated arrangement among European and American representatives, and seeks beyond your own confines for competent, alternative candidates, you will find that you will be lead to Dr. Okonjo-Iweala.

Yours sincerely

Graduates of the NBF-ALP

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About the NEPAD Business Foundation (NBF) African Leadership Programme (ALP)

The NBF ALP concentrates on enhancing capacity and leadership potential of African top managers from the public and private sectors s well as NGOs.

About the NEPAD Business Foundation

The NBF operates in South Africa with extensive business networks in the Southern African sub-region and the Continent as a whole, driven by the vision to contribute to a vibrant African economy through private sector development, thus positioning the continent as competitive global player. The mission of the NBF is to support the delivery of the NEPAD objectives through the active participation of Africa’s private sector.