DAKAR, September 8, 2021 - Sérgio Pimenta, IFC's Regional Vice President for Africa, will visit Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso, from September 8-18, to advance the private sector's role in addressing urgent development needs in the Sahel.
With COVID-19 adding more challenges to an already dire situation, the Sahel is at a critical juncture. The private sector has a major role to play in creating jobs and promoting economic growth and development.
During his visit, Mr. Pimenta will meet with senior government officials, development partners and private sector players in Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso. He will showcase IFC's work and strategy aimed at supporting the region's development with private sector-led transformational projects. In Niger, jointly with government officials, Sérgio Pimenta will oversee the official opening ceremony of IFC's permanent office in the country.
For the next four years, IFC aims to deliver up to US$1.2 billion in investments in the Sahel, including mobilization, in key sectors for growth and social progress: infrastructure, green energy, agribusiness and value chain development and financial inclusion.
WHO: Sérgio Pimenta, Regional Vice President for Africa, IFC
@SPimentaIFC
WHEN: Tuesday, September 8, 2021 – Friday, September 10, 2021 (Mauritania)
Sunday, September 12, 2021 – Wednesday, September 15, 2021 (Niger)
Wednesday, September 15, 2021 – Saturday, September 18, 2021 (Burkina Faso)
WHERE: Nouakchott, Mauritania | Niamey, Niger | Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
For media requests, please contact:
In Dakar: Abdoul Maiga | amaiga7@ifc.org | + 1 202 967 8969
In Nairobi: Kristina Nwazota | knwazota@ifc.org | + 1 202 422 2408
About IFC
IFC—a member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2021, IFC committed a record $31.5 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.
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Sérgio Pimenta
IFC's Regional Vice President for Africa
Sérgio Pimenta is IFC's Regional Vice President for Africa. In this capacity, he is in charge of all advisory and investment operations in a region with a committed portfolio of $13.3 billion and more than 700 staff working to expand the private sector's role in addressing urgent development challenges in the financial, manufacturing, agribusiness and services, and infrastructure industries.
Previously, Mr. Pimenta was Director and Global Head of Industry—Manufacturing, Agribusiness, and Services at IFC, managing all operations in these sectors worldwide. Mr. Pimenta also served for three years as IFC's Regional Director responsible for East Asia and the Pacific, based in Hong Kong.
Earlier in his career at IFC, Mr. Pimenta held senior managerial positions in the manufacturing, agribusiness, and services sectors in the Asia Pacific region, the Middle East and North Africa, and Washington, DC.
Prior to joining the World Bank Group through its Young Professionals Program in 1996, Mr. Pimenta worked for the Treasury Department of the French Ministry of Finance, as well as for Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP).
A Portuguese and French national, Mr. Pimenta holds an engineering degree from the École Polytechnique, Paris, and a post-graduate degree from the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, Paris.
