The Board of Directors of the World Bank Group has announced that US citizen Ajay Banga is the lone candidate for the bank’s next president. This is according to a statement released by the World Bank on Friday.
“The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors today confirmed that, as announced on February 22, the period for submitting nominations for the position of the next President of the World Bank Group closed on Wednesday at 6:00 pm ET.
“The board received one nomination and would like to announce that Ajay Banga, a U.S. national, will be considered for the position.
“In accordance with established procedures, the Board of Executive Directors will conduct a formal interview with the candidate in Washington D.C., and expect to conclude the presidential selection in due course,” the board said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that in February, US President Joe Biden nominated Banga to lead the World Bank. Biden stated that Banga is “well equipped” to lead the global institution at “this critical moment in history.”
No other country proposed an alternate candidate for the prestigious post.
Banga, 63, was born in India and is a naturalised US citizen. The former Mastercard Inc. chief currently serves as vice chairman at General Atlantic. NAN reports that if confirmed, Banga would become the first-ever Indian-American to head either of the two top international financial institutions: the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Banga is expected to replace the current World Bank president, David Malpass. David will step down in June, nearly a year before his term is scheduled to expire.
Malpass faced strong criticism over the bank’s commitment to climate action and over his personal views on climate change.
cc: Punch Ng
