Washington, DC, November 10, 2014
—IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, announces the appointment of Sylvain Kakou as Resident Representative for Haiti. Effective November 1st, Kakou is responsible for coordinating IFC’s program of investments and advisory services in Haiti. He will be based in Port au Prince.
“Haiti is a country of tremendous potential and promise,” Kakou said. “IFC’s clients are already making an impact, demonstrating that sound investments can promote inclusive and sustainable development. I look forward to working with our long term partners and forging new relationships that leverage the power of the private sector to address Haiti’s challenges and help the country continue to grow.”
Originally from Côte d'Ivoire, Kakou joined IFC in March 2006 in Johannesburg as a key member of the Africa team with responsibilities for originating business, processing, and managing the portfolio for agribusiness projects. In July 2010 he was named IFC Country Head for Zambia and in 2013 also began covering Malawi, to lead IFC business development efforts with a focus on priority sectors such as agribusiness, manufacturing, financial markets and infrastructure.
Prior to joining IFC, Kakou worked with Citibank’s corporate finance Africa division, with HSBC Bank’s Sub-Saharan Africa hub, and with Côte d'Ivoire's Government think-tank, BNETD, to promote private sector infrastructure investments. He holds an MBA in finance from Drexel University, a Masters in International Project Management from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP), and a Masters in Economics from Université Nationale de Côte d’Ivoire.
Ary Naim, who has served as IFC country head for Haiti for the past four years, is moving to a new position as IFC country manager for Mexico.
IFC’s portfolio in Haiti currently amounts to $79 million, including $24 million mobilized from other partners. The portfolio is expected to grow this fiscal year to approximately $140 million, with new investments in the manufacturing, infrastructure and financial sectors. Through advisory programs with the private sector and the government, IFC supports access to finance, public-private partnerships, improvements to Haiti’s investment climate, and programs that make small and medium enterprises more productive.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. Working with private enterprises in about 100 countries, we use our capital, expertise, and influence to help eliminate extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. In FY14, we provided more than $22 billion in financing to improve lives in developing countries and tackle the most urgent challenges of development. For more information, visit
www.ifc.org
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