Shrinking Economic Distance: Understanding How Markets and Places Can Lower Transport costs in Developing Countries

Nicolas Peltier-Thiberge is the Global Director for the Transport Global Department in the Infrastructure Vice Presidency of the World Bank. Mr. Peltier-Thiberge joined the World Bank in 2002 as a Young Professional and he has since held various positions in the Transport Global Department, managing World Bank-financed transport investments in multiple regions, including North Africa and the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa.

Matías Herrera Dappe is a senior economist and the global lead on transport economics and policy at the World Bank, where he leads policy research programs on infrastructure with a focus on transport. He has published extensively on a wide range of topics, including infrastructure economics, economic development, trade and logistics, public-private partnerships, state-owned enterprises, competition, auctions, and fiscal policy. Before joining the World Bank, he worked for consulting firms and think tanks, advising governments and companies in Europe, Latin America, and North America. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Binyam Reja is the Practice Manager for Transport in the Infrastructure Vice Presidency. Mr. Reja oversees the Bank’s Transport Global Unit’s knowledge, flagship analytical studies, partnerships, and corporate mandates. He directs an extensive technical assistance program and analytical studies and leads a team of technical professionals and analysts in the delivery of the program. Before being selected for this position, Mr. Reja was the Regional Practice Manager for China, Mongolia, and Central Asia, where he oversaw a lending program totaling US$8 billion for China, Mongolia, and Central Asia, covering all sub-sectors, including urban transport, BRT, metros, highways, railways, intermodal freight transportation, and logistics. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Irvine, and attended the Executive Education program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

H.E. Dhenge Boru currently serves as the State Minister for the Ministry of Transport and Logistics in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. In this role, he is instrumental in implementing reforms to enhance Ethiopia’s logistics sector. H.E. Dhenge is responsible for establishing the country’s transportation policies, strategies, and reforms, and for driving the development of its logistical infrastructure. One of his significant achievements in recent years is leading a team of experts to develop the Railway and Logistics Reform Roadmap, which aims to unlock the potential of railways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of logistics operations in Ethiopia.

H.E. Dhenge Boru previously served as the State Minister at the Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration, where he oversaw regional integration and export development. In this capacity, he advanced Ethiopia’s trade policy and strengthened its standing in regional and global markets. His initiatives to promote Ethiopia’s exports and enhance regional ties have been widely regarded as critical to the country’s economic goals.

Baptiste Burgaud is currently Head of the Logistics Field Support Unit at the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome, Italy. In this role, Baptiste oversees critical supply chain functions, ensuring the efficient delivery of aid to some of the world's most vulnerable populations. A distinguished supply chain and logistics expert with two decades of experience in international humanitarian operations, Baptiste's career spans numerous positions in diverse settings. Prior to joining WFP, Baptiste served with Action Contre la Faim (ACF) in a range of roles, including as a Logistics Advisor in Paris (France), Logistics Coordinator in Kabul (Afghanistan) and the North Caucasus, as well as Head of Base in Wajid (Somalia). With WFP, Baptiste has served as a Logistics Cluster Coordinator in Haiti and held other key positions within the Global Logistics Cluster in Rome, Italy. Additionally, Baptiste contributed as a Logistics Officer in Thailand with responsibility for coordinating large large-scale logistics operations in the Asia Pacific region, before leading complex supply chain operations in the Philippines. Throughout his career, Baptiste has demonstrated a keen commitment to fundamentally enhancing humanitarian logistics to better serve communities in need.

Ms. Nihad Kabir is a barrister and Senior Partner at Syed Ishtiaq Ahmad and Associates, a leading law firm in Bangladesh. She is also known as a successful business personality and has served as the president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka. Ms. Kabir sits as an independent director on the board of various international companies and financial institutions in Bangladesh. She was the secretary-general of Ain o Salish Kendra, a legal aid institution, and is a member of the Company Law Reform Commission, fellow of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, member of the Board of Governors of Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre, and member of the World Bank South Asia Region’s Chief Economist’s Advisory Council. 

Aaditya Mattoo is Chief Economist of the East Asia and Pacific Region of the World Bank.  He specializes in development, trade and international cooperation, and provides policy advice to governments.  He is also Co-Director of the World Development Report 2020 on Global Value Chains.  Prior to this he was the Research Manager, Trade and Integration, at the World Bank. Before he joined the Bank, Mr. Mattoo was Economic Counsellor at the World Trade Organization and taught economics at the University of Sussex and Churchill College, Cambridge University. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Cambridge, and an M.Phil in Economics from the University of Oxford. He has published on development, trade, trade in services, and international trade agreements in academic and other journals and his work has been cited in the Economist, Financial Times, New York Times, and Time Magazine.