Ousmane Diagana

Vice President, Western and Central Africa

Ousmane Diagana, a Mauritanian national, is the Regional Vice President for Western and Central Africa as of July 1, 2020. In this position, Mr. Diagana leads relations with 22 countries, and oversees a portfolio of projects, technical assistance and financial resources worth more than $40 billion.

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Diagana was the Vice President of the World Bank Group Human Resources. In that role, he provided overall strategic leadership on human resource matters to the entire World Bank Group and oversaw the development and implementation of the World Bank Group People Strategy, and Human Resources policies, programs and services.

From October 2015 to January 2018, he was the Vice President for Ethics and Business Conduct (EBC) and Chief Ethics Officer of the World Bank Group.

Mr. Diagana is recognized as an organizational leader, personal mentor and a professional role model. He brings to this role a deep knowledge of Bank Group operations, a reputation for innovative and strategic thinking, recognized managerial skills, and country office perspective.

Previously, he was World Bank Country Director for Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Benin, Guinea, and Togo, based in Abidjan and prior to that he held the position of Country Director for Mali, Niger, Chad, and Guinea, based in Bamako. Between 2006 and 2009, Mr. Diagana was Country Manager in Niger and from 2004 to 2006, he was Program Leader in Morocco. In these capacities, he effectively led diverse, multi-disciplinary teams to deliver innovative strategies and operations —including in fragile and conflict-affected countries. In 2009, Mr. Diagana received the Good Manager Award from the World Bank Group Staff Association in recognition of his leadership skills.

Ousmane Diagana joined the World Bank in 1992. He has degrees in economics, finance, and planning, a certificate in education policies and analysis and speaks French, English, Arabic, Soninke, Fulani, and Wolof.

Africa: Cultivating Change - The Imperative of Partnerships in Upscaling Transformative Agricultural Technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa for Enhanced Food Security
In the heart of sub-Saharan Africa, amidst the fields of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria, I bore witness to something truly remarkable: the pioneering work being done to elevate agricultural productivity and ensure food security for an entire region.
Building Tomorrow’s Peace and Prosperity in West and Central Africa - A Call for Investing in Education Today
Education stands as one of the most powerful drivers for constructing a future marked by peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, those children most in need of a good education often find themselves most vulnerable to disruptions, be they caused by conflict, climate crises, pandemics, or other crises.
Powering West and Central Africa for brighter future
To achieve universal access to electricity, the pace of electrification in West and Central Africa must triple by 2030.
Corruption is a Global Problem for Development. To Fight It, We All Have a Role to Play
Corruption harms the poor and vulnerable the most, increasing costs and reducing access to basic services, such as health, education, social programs, and even justice. It exacerbates inequality and reduces private sector investment to the detriment of markets, job opportunities, and economies.
Grow the future: Feed the soil to feed the people of West Africa
In the current context of global crisis, the future of our farming and food security are closely linked. Soil health and fertilizers, while at the heart of the problem, are also part of the solution.
The transformation of Africa starts with our girls
“When you educate a girl, you educate a nation.” This African proverb resonates with the values passed on to me by my parents and guides my determination to drive change in the region through the education and empowerment of girls and women.
Africa’s corridors of life : Financing the infrastructure gap in Western and Central Africa
We often forget that life-changing infrastructure – a road, a powerline, or a fiberoptic cable – is a powerful driver for social and economic transformation. It provides a window of opportunity that opens up and facilitates the movement of people, products, and services.
3 key fronts on which Africa must combat climate change
Never before have African countries felt such a sense of urgency to act, adapt and build resilience. Every year, people are experiencing more floods, soaring temperatures, coastal erosion, land degradation and other climatic shocks. In western and central Africa, recent floods across the region have affected millions of people, claiming lives and displacing tens of thousands from their homes and livelihoods.
West Africa food insecurity demands climate-smart response amid multiple crises
As crises multiply and the devastating conflict in Ukraine drags on, its global effects are being felt hard in the Sahel and West Africa, a region with more than 38 million people facing acute food insecurity. The war’s impacts risk pushing an additional 7 to 10 million people in the region into food insecurity.
Ousmane Diagana (World Bank): “We do not discourage all subsidies”
Ousmane Diagana, the West and Central Africa vice-president of the World Bank explains the Bretton Woods institution's positioning and priorities on the continent. In this long interview, he pushes back against the familiar critique of rigidity and economic orthodoxy.
Promoting Wage Equality in the Labor Market in Africa: a Moral Imperative
The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated wage and occupational inequalities between men and women. As we look towards the recovery from the devastating impact of the COVID pandemic, we must use this as an opportunity to rebuild societies that will provide women and men with equal opportunities in the working world.
The countries of the Sahel unite for universal access to quality education
In accordance with the rule and spirit of each of our Sahelian countries, and the conviction that the prosperity of nations and social inclusion in our fragile environments are at stake, education for all has always been at the core of our development strategies
How to Rebuild a New Social Contract in Western and Central Africa (f)
In partnership with Jeune Afrique, the World Bank organized an unprecedented debate on the complicated issue of African populations' distrust of their institutions and ways to restore trust. Here are the main takeaways.
For millions of West Africans, climate change is already here
On the shores of the coastal Senegalese city of Saint Louis, climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is already a current issue impacting the people who live there. Hundreds have had to flee the devastating effects of rising sea levels and erosion, leaving behind their livelihoods, aspirations and opportunities.
Central African Republic: Looking Ahead, Banking On Human Capital - The Keys To Development In The Central African Republic
In the Central African Republic, access to higher education is a rare privilege: on average, a Central African child is enrolled in school for only 4.6 years of his or her life. Central African women and young girls like Géraldine are especially vulnerable to a range of risks and obstacles: early pregnancy, gender-based violence, and high rates of maternal mortality (824/100,000). Géraldine's journey is therefore all the more impressive, given the many complex challenges in her path.
Three Paths to Accelerating Digital Access in West and Central Africa
Just before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic struck, just over half of the world’s population approximately (51%) had access to the internet compared with just 30% in Western and Central Africa. With the strict lockdown implemented during the pandemic, many services were only available to people across the region through the internet.
Our goal is to help turn around fragile states
Ousmane Diagana is the Vice-President of the World Bank for West and Central Africa. He oversees these two very different sub-regions each with its own sets of challenges and needs. Eleven of the 22 countries in West and Central Africa are classified as ‘fragile state’. His operational portfolio is around $50bn to help turn these countries around. What are his plans? Interview by Hichem Ben Yaïche and Nicolas Bouchet.
Prioritizing the Sahel region
The WBG is providing a record financing to support the post COVID-19 recovery in the Sahel and to scale up successful initiatives