World Bank selects new country director for Nigeria

Rachid Benmessaoud has been named country director for Nigeria and coordinating director for the West Africa Regional Integration Program at The World Bank.

Benmessaoud has been with World Bank since 1990, when he came on as an energy planner.  The Morocco native has held various jobs with the company including lead energy specialist, operations adviser for India, and, most recently, country director for Pakistan.

In his new role he succeeds Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, who left the bank in July. His appointment will become effective Oct. 1.

Benmessaoud will focus on continuing to improve the impact of the World Bank's portfolio in Nigeria and supporting the government's development priorities including power, education, quality of public spending, trade and regional integration.

Benmessaoud has experience working on energy, infrastructure, and municipal finance projects in North Africa, Central Europe and South Asia. He is an electrical engineer who holds a master’s degree in business administration from a school in the United States and a doctorate in engineering from a university in France.