April 2, 2021
Laurent Msellati, originally from France, is the new head of the Office of the World Bank in Haiti, from Thursday 1 st April 2021. He will be based in Port-au-Prince.
In his role, Mr. Msellati’s priorities will be to guide the World Bank’s engagement with the Haitian Government, to work in close collaboration with the main development partners, to manage the program and the country team and to ” provide support to World Bank staff attached to the Haiti program.
“Haiti has had several difficult years, and the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been significant. I look forward to continuing our work to support the Haitian people, focused on inclusive growth and building resilience. I will work in close collaboration with the main actors of Haitian society to support the country’s development priorities and provide support to the most vulnerable people, ” said Laurent Msellati.
Since joining the World Bank in 1991, Mr. Msellati has held several positions in the regions of sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and Caribbean. He recently served as the World Bank Office Manager for Mauritania and was also Director of Global Agriculture Practice in the Latin America and Caribbean region. Laurent Msellati holds a master’s degree in business administration, finance and economics from the Luigi Bocconi business school (Italy), and a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the national veterinary school of Nantes (France).
Mr. Msellati will lead the implementation of the World Bank’s Haiti program, which includes a portfolio of 20 active projects worth approximately $ 915m, funded by the International Development Association and trust funds. The main projects are in the sectors of education, health, transport, energy, agriculture and food security, water supply and sanitation, finance, governance, macroeconomics, social protection and employment, and digital development.