For years, the World Bank has extended its assistance to Eritrea and Somalia, two of Africa’s most impoverished states. In Eritrea alone, the Bank has been responsible for implementing a multi-donor lending program to assist the country in rehabilitating its physical and social infrastructure, as well as in resuscitating its economic activities and improving the people’s lives. Together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank has also released a Country Re-engagement Note for Somalia to provide basic goods and services to the nation and spur it on towards long-term recovery and stability.
Tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the World Bank’s operations in both Eritrea and Somalia, Mr. Christopher Lovelace works as the Bank’s Country Director for the two states. For the past year and a half, he has been in charge of coordinating with the Eritrean and Somali governments for the Bank’s initiatives and activities, and has been responsible for ensuring seamless relations between the World Bank and its development partners and civil society. Mr. Lovelace says, “I work closely with other members of the country team, both those based in the country office and those based elsewhere, oftentimes in our headquarters in Washington. The analogy to an orchestra conductor at the country level and helping many talented individual performers carry out their vital tasks would not be too far off the mark.”
Mr. Lovelace acknowledges that working with the two African states is underlined by some unavoidable challenges. “As with all management jobs, the main challenges include juggling competing demands on time, prioritizing activities, meeting institutional demands, and following up to ensure objectives are achieved.” Nonetheless, he looks forward to what he believes are the most fulfilling features of his work, which come as naturally as the difficulties do. “By far, the most rewarding aspects of the job involve the satisfaction of working with so many great people; within the Bank or with our clients and our development partners to achieve a real impact on people’s lives.”
Before assuming his current post as the Country Director for Eritrea and Somalia, Mr. Lovelace was the Bank’s Country Manager for the Kyrgyz Republic and Turkmenistan. He also held a range of managerial positions in the human development sphere for the Bank. Before that, he was the Assistant Deputy Minister of Health in British Columbia, Canada, and was also the Director General of Health in New Zealand. Mr. Lovelace holds a B.A. in Political Science, which is complemented with an MPA in Public Administration. “I very much enjoy working for the Bank - a great development institution - and in particular enjoy working in the field,” he explains. In the future, Mr. Lovelace is hoping to keep himself more involved in working for the health sector. “I hope to continue to [work for the World Bank] for some time to come, although at some point I’d like to go back to working directly in the health sector.”
He is hopeful with what the World Bank can achieve in Eritrea and Somalia and believes that one must assume a stance of confidence to pave the way towards any real progress. “You need to balance what you hope to achieve with what can be achieved in often difficult circumstances. You need to be an optimist by nature,” he muses. “I believe the Bank can make a tangible contribution to improving the lives of [the Eritreans and Somalis] through sound policy advice, technical assistance, and financial support. I hope my own contribution furthers that objective.”