Dr. Kennedy Mbekeani Is The New Director General Of The East Africa Regional Development By AfDB

The African Development Bank Group has named Dr. Kennedy Mbekeani Director General of the East Africa Regional Development, Integration, and Business Delivery Office and Country Manager for Kenya. His new position will take effect on October 16, 2024.

The Malawian has worked in national and regional knowledge generation, project management, policy advisory services, and development finance for more than 25 years.

Before this appointment, he filled in as deputy director general for the Bank’s Southern Africa Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Office.

He served as an advisor to South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, and Mauritius while also leading the Bank’s business development and delivery for both sovereign and non-sovereign investments.

His efforts helped establish the Bank as a trusted partner for high impact development projects in the region. He also managed relationships with governments and the private sector.

In 2009, Mbekeani was appointed Chief Trade and Regional Integration Officer at the Bank. After that, he was the lead regional economist, officer in charge, and acting regional director of the Bank’s South African Resource Centre, respectively.

He successfully increased the Bank’s portfolio to more than $2 billion while he was country manager for Uganda.

Prior to joining the Bank, Mbekeani worked for the United Nations Development Programme as a trade, debt and globalisation advisor for East and Southern Africa.

Additionally, he held positions as senior economist at the National Institute for Economic Policy in South Africa and senior research fellow at the Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis.

He is a graduate of the University of Malawi with a Bachelor of Social Science (Economics and Statistics), the University of Glasgow with an MPhil in Monetary Economics, and the University of California with both an MA and a PhD in International Economics.

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He has authored numerous publications focusing on trade, regional integration, and infrastructure development in Africa.

Commenting on his appointment, Mbekeani said:

“I am grateful and feel honoured by the confidence President Adesina placed in me through this appointment, as Director General for the East Africa Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery Office and country manager for Kenya. I look forward to working with the president, the Board of Directors, senior management, our teams and stakeholders to enhance the Bank’s operational efficiency, effectiveness and drive impactful developmental outcomes across the region.”

Kennedy brings extensive experience in managing operations, policy dialogue, coupled with astute diplomacy and well-tested ability to work effectively with countries and development partners.

His knowledge of the Eastern Africa region and well-proven experience in delivering robust operations for the public and private sectors will strongly benefit the work and operations of the African Development Bank Group in East Africa and all countries in the region.