Is Africa underrepresented in World Bank management?

Members of the World Bank board of governors are putting pressure on President Jim Kim to boost the diversity of senior staff as part of the institution’s ambitious and controversial reform process launched last year. We learned how during the bank’s recent spring meetings, Kim abruptly left a meeting with African finance ministers who sit on the board of governors after being asked why not a single African is among the new senior directors for global practices and cross-cutting areas appointed April 3. In an (undated) letter to the ministers obtained by Devex, the World Bank chief thanks them for attending and apologized for “having had to leave so quickly,” explaining that he “had [another] meeting scheduled immediately after our session.” The letter then goes on to directly address the issue of diversity among management at the institution. “I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate to you my personal commitment to diversity and specifically the inclusion of Africans among all ranks of staff at the World Bank Group,” Kim wrote. “In the next six months, I will work with Human Resources Vice President Sean McGrath to review our entire recruitment process; this will include our recruitment of qualified candidates from sub-Saharan Africa.” The letter points out that two senior director positions and more director positions have yet to be filled, and promised to update the ministers on those as well as progress on the “overall recruitment approach” at the bank’s next round of meetings in October. ‘We can always do better’ The low number of African country nationals, as well as people with other passports but of African descent, in leadership positions at the bank — especially outside of the continent’s country offices — has been a long-running concern at the Washington, D.C.-based institution. We reported in March how the cohort of senior directors was expected to be scrutinized for diversity and country representation, and Kim closely associated himself with the selection process by personally interviewing the short-listed candidates for each senior position. In response to an inquiry by Devex, World Bank spokesman David Theis highlighted the diversity of the new group of senior directors, pointing out that 44 percent are women and 50 percent are from the bank’s borrowing countries. He also noted that Africa was not the only region that’s missing in the recent appointments — East Asia, the Middle East and North Africa were also not represented. Overall, the number of African directors has increased to 24 from just nine in 2009. “The World Bank Group cares deeply about ensuring our workplace is as diverse as it can be and is free from discrimination of any kind,” Theis said. “We know that we can always do better.” Kim told staff on Tuesday that he is “extremely proud” of the team of senior directors that has been assembled while reminding them that not all director positions have been appointed, according to Theis. “The World Bank Group cares deeply about ensuring our workplace is as diverse as it can be and is free from discrimination of any kind,” Theis said. “We know that we can always do better.” Is the World Bank doing enough to ensure diversity among senior management? Please let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below, joining our LinkedIn discussion on the topic or sending an email to news@devex.com. Read more development aid news online, and subscribe to The Development Newswire to receive top international development headlines from the world’s leading donors, news sources and opinion leaders — emailed to you FREE every business day. See more: New high-level support for universal health coverage Who will lead the data revolution? World Bank procurement reform to rationalize prior review of contracts Can the World Bank promote more open governance? Jim Kim: Addressing inequality, investing in people critical to sustainable growth CSOs seek culture change at IFC The World Bank’s big gamble Your views on the World Bank's poverty eradication strategy