AFRICA – Kyle Kelhofer has been appointed as the senior regional representative of 5 sub – Saharan countries by The International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Kyle Kelhofer will oversee operations of IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank, in Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Togo, and Sierra Leone.
He succeeds Nigerian Ronke-Amoni Ogunsulire in this position and will be based in Accra, Ghana.
The information was made public by the Bretton Woods institution, via a statement issued on Monday, February 28, 2022.
“In his new role, he will focus on supporting private sector growth, job creation, and post-Covid-19 recovery in West Africa,” the IFC said.
Kyle, a U.S. national, has nearly 30 years of international development experience previously worked for the institution in Ghana.
In Ghana with IFC from 2007-2010, he focused on strengthening the country’s oil, telecoms, and financial sectors, among others.
Prior to this position, the senior official served as IFC’s senior regional representative for Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam, among other countries.
Before joining IFC, Kelhofer worked at Ernst & Young’s National High Technology Practice in San Francisco.
“It is a great pleasure to be back in West Africa and I look forward to working with the IFC team to support the socio-economic development of the region,” said Kyle Kelhofer.
“The Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, poverty, and unemployment are serious and interrelated challenges, but by working with public and private sector partners, we can help the region lay the foundation for strong and sustainable growth.”
In Togo, Benin, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, IFC’s work includes supporting the agribusiness sector, bridging infrastructure and connectivity gaps.
In addition, the company also promotes digital inclusion and financing micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
The company has been supporting Togo for several years in a wide range of sectors, including energy, financial markets, logistics, and health, with a project portfolio of US$330 million.
IFC opened its offices in Togo in October 2019 and has Ivorian Christopher Balliet Bléziri as its current Representative-Resident in the country.
The private arm has been supporting the African continent as a whole with fast-track funding and advisory support.
In the last six decades, the company has invested more than US$25 billion in African businesses and financial institutions.
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