World Bank Nepal new Country Director assumes office

KATHMANDU: The newly-appointed Country Director of the World Bank to Nepal,  Qimiao Fan assumed office from today.

Fan has been assigned the responsibility of the World Bank's country director to Bhutan and Bangladesh also, the World Bank (WB) Nepal Country Office stated.

Fan’s appointment was communicated to senior Government of Nepal officials including Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel by Annette Dixon, World Bank South Asia Vice President, during her visit to Kathmandu last month.

Fan, a Chinese national, joined the World Bank in 1991 and has held leadership positions in different countries and regions of the world. Prior to taking his current assignment, Fan has served as the Country Director for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. From 1998 to 2002, Fan took leave from the World Bank to work in the private sector in various senior executive positions in China. After returning to the World Bank, he worked as a Program Leader for the Investment Climate Program in the World Bank Institute and later as the Country Manager for Cambodia.

In his current role as the World Bank Country Director for Nepal, Fan will oversee implementation of the World Bank’s Country Partnership Strategy for Nepal, including support for post-earthquake recovery. In pursuing the World Bank’s mission of eliminating poverty and promoting shared prosperity, he will also lead the policy dialogue with government counterparts, civil society and other partners.

He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Birmingham, England. He has published widely on topics related to investment climate and problems of economies in transition.