New WB Country Director on familiarisation tour

Idah Pswarayi-Riddihough, the new World Bank Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives is due in Colombo this week to meet the Government leaders and other development partners, to discuss the status of World Bank Group operations and how the Bank can continue to support the country’s development priorities in the most impactful manner.

During the four-day visit, Pswarayi-Riddihough will accompany outgoing Country Director, Francoise Clottes to the introductory meetings with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake and the Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Dr. Indrajith Coomaraswamy.

She also spent a day in Maldives meeting key government officials there.

Pswarayi-Riddihough’s priorities will be to implement the new Country Partnership Frameworks for Sri Lanka and the Maldives in partnership with the respective governments, provide oversight on portfolio management and quality issues, while working closely with clients and other development partners to provide timely and effective implementation support.

Pswarayi-Riddihough, a Zimbabwean national, joined the Bank in 1995 as a young professional. She earned her PhD from Oxford University in 1993. She has since held various operational and corporate management positions. She has worked in four different regions, South Asia, East Asia, Middle East and North and Africa and the African region. Her most recent posting in South Asia was as the Director of Operational Services from 2012 to 2014. Pswarayi-Riddihough’s appointment is effective as of August 1.