By Chisom Nwatu
IFC has appointed Dahlia Khalifa as its regional director for Nigeria, Central Africa, Liberia and Sierra Leone to drive its strategy to create a more resilient and sustainable private sector to support development and job creation in the region.
Khalifa, who will be based in Lagos, Nigeria, will lead IFC’s investment and advisory teams in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, and Sierra Leone.
While these countries face challenges such as rising inflation and the effects of climate change, a young, vibrant, and entrepreneurial population presents opportunities for a more dynamic private sector.
“I welcome Dahlia to her new role and know her leadership and experience generating impactful investments in the region will further deepen IFC’s work in Africa and enable our partners to meet the challenges of the moment, from rising food insecurity to the effects of climate change,” said Sérgio Pimenta, IFC vice president for Africa.
“I look forward to working with Dahlia and her team to deliver on new opportunities in the years to come, such as empowering more of the region’s entrepreneurs,” Pimenta said.
Before joining the World Bank Group, Khalifa founded and managed financial services companies providing brokerage, corporate finance, private equity investing, and management consulting services in the Middle East and Africa.
As of September 30, IFC had an investment and advisory portfolio in Central Africa and Nigeria of more than $2.53 billion across financial services, infrastructure, and agribusiness and is continuing to grow its portfolio in health, manufacturing, and value chain development.
“We are stepping up our work to empower the private sector and to work jointly with government and development partners to deliver greener, more inclusive and sustainable growth in the region. I commit to further strengthening IFC’s work so that together we can build the strong foundations for private and public sector partnerships,” Khalifa said.
Khalifa, an Egyptian and American national, was most recently the Senior Manager for IFC’s Creating Markets Advisory program in the Middle East, Central Asia, Türkiye, Pakistan, and Afghanistan region, where she and her team supported the removal of barriers to investment to strengthen the private sector and boost economic development.
