Economist Lamin Barrow has been named the Director General for the West Africa Region by the African Development Bank Group, with effect from June 1, 2024.
Having joined the African Development Bank in 2000, Barrow, a Gambian national, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his current position. He was the Vice President for Regional Development, Integration, and Business Development’s Director General of the Nigeria Country Department before taking on this position. Policy research, public-private partnerships, project finance, strategic management, and regional integration are among the areas in which Barrow specializes.
Barrow developed strategic alliances with important stakeholders and greatly improved the bank’s development collaboration with the Federal Government of Nigeria while serving as Director General for Nigeria. In addition to leading the implementation of flagship initiatives like the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones and the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) program, he oversaw the bank’s $4.5 billion portfolio in Nigeria.
Barrow began his career at the bank in the infrastructure department as a senior financial analyst. He has since progressed to hold a number of high-level roles, such as Manager of Operations, Technical Support, and Regional Approaches at the Transition States Support Department, Principal Country Programme Officer in the Rwanda Country Office, and Resident Representative in Ethiopia. In addition, he held the positions of Director of the Joint Secretariat Support Office for the African Development Bank, African Union Commission, and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, as well as Manager of the Cabinet Office of the President.
Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina praised Barrow’s appointment, stating, “Mr. Barrow has extensive knowledge and a wealth of experience in managing bank operations, handling country dialogues, and engaging with senior government policymakers. His strong experience as Director General of the Nigeria Country Office Department positions him well to lead the West Africa team, which has the largest portfolio in the bank. He will bring his wealth of experience to drive and ensure greater operational efficiency and effectiveness, improving the overall quality of the Bank’s portfolio across the West Africa region to achieve significant developmental impacts.”
Barrow held positions as Division Manager of Export Promotion and Development and Head of the Project Development Unit at the Gambia National Investment Board before joining the African Development Bank. In addition, he worked as a principal economist for the Company for Habitat and Housing in Africa (Shelter Afrique) and the Policy Analysis Unit in the Office of the President of the Gambia.
He graduated from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria with a B.Sc. in Economics and a Master of Arts in Economic Policy from Boston University in the United States. Along with Queen’s University in Canada, he also completed executive programs in investment, risk analysis, and finance at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA.
Commenting on his new role, Barrow stated: “I am grateful to President Adesina for his confidence and this great opportunity to serve in this new role and further contribute to the implementation of Bank initiatives in support of the development programs of West African countries.”
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