HONIARA, August 11, 2016 – The World Bank’s new Country Representative for Solomon Islands and Vanuatu says both countries have significant potential for economic growth.
Hailing from Rwanda, Guido Rurangwa, the World Bank’s new Country Representative for Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, brings with him more than 15 years of World Bank experience across Africa and the Middle East.
Mr. Rurangwa will oversee nine World Bank projects across Solomon Islands and Vanuatu with total commitments of US$164.47 million, with the potential for more activity in both countries as relationships continue to grow.
“Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are two of the Pacific’s most diverse and proud World Bank members, the economic potential in both countries is significant,” said Mr. Rurangwa. “I’m looking forward to working closely with the people and governments of the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to continue to grow the World Bank’s work in areas including transport, energy and agriculture, while also offering assistance in potential new areas for development and improvement.”
The World Bank’s work in Solomon Islands includes projects in renewable energy, youth employment and training, fisheries and climate and disaster resilience, while in Vanuatu the World Bank is supporting work in the aviation sector, climate and natural disaster resilience and reconstruction following Cyclone Pam.
Mr. Rurangwa began his career with the World Bank in 2001 as an Economist in the Macroeconomic and Fiscal Management Department. Since then he has held various positions across Africa and the Middle East, including Senior Economist for numerous African nations, Senior Country Officer for Egypt, and Senior Country Economist for Yemen.
He has worked on and led lending operations, analytical work and technical assistance in the areas of fiscal policy reforms, growth and private sector development and trade, along with World Bank country strategies and their implementation in a number of countries.
Before joining the World Bank, Mr. Rurangwa worked for the Government of Rwanda as Director for Fiscal Policy in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, was a Senior Economist in the Central Bank of Rwanda, and held academic positions at the National University of Rwanda.
Mr. Rurangwa holds a Masters Degree in Macroeconomic Modeling from the École Nationale de la Statistique et de l’Administration Économique (ENSAE) in Paris, France; a Masters Degree in Statistics and Applied Economics from the École Nationale Supérieure de Statistique et d'Économie Appliquée in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; and a Bachelors Degree in Statistics from the Institut Africain et Mauricien de Statistique in Kigali, Rwanda.
