The World Bank has announced the appointment of Liang Wang as the new Country Representative for Botswana, effective November 15, 2022.
Based in Gaborone, Wang will lead the World Bank’s engagement in Botswana that includes an active lending portfolio, a vibrant knowledge partnership and a dynamic dialogue with the government and a wide range of stakeholders.
A Chinese national, Wang brings over fifteen years of experience working at the World Bank across Africa, East Asia, and corporate and policy functions at the headquarters in Washington DC. Most recently, he has been the coordinator for the China, Korea and Mongolia country program, one of the largest lending and analytical programs of the World Bank. “I am excited to start my tenure in Botswana,” said Wang, “I look forward to bringing my experience in supporting middle-income countries’ transition towards high-income status to support Botswana’s efforts in achieving its aspirations.”
The World Bank’s engagement in Botswana is closely aligned with the government’s National Development Plans, and the Botswana Vision 2036 goals. The upcoming World Bank Group Country Partnership Framework for Botswana will outline the World Bank’s engagement in Botswana in the coming years. Botswana, a member of the World Bank since 1968, graduated from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s concessional financing window, in 1974. It restarted borrowing from the World Bank in 2008, and the World Bank’s country office in Gaborone opened in 2009.
