World Bank nominee Ajay Banga heads to India

The US nominee for World Bank President Ajay Banga will visit New Delhi, India on March 23 and 24, capping a three-week global listening tour that began in Africa before progressing to Europe, and Latin America, and Asia.

While in India, Banga will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman and the Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. These discussions will focus on India's development priorities, the World Bank, and global economic development challenges. Additionally, Banga will visit the Learnet Institute of Skills, which is a network of vocational institutes established in collaboration with the National Skills Development Corporation, funded in part by the World Bank. Banga will learn about the Institute's program and meet with program participants, staff, alumni, and private sector partners to discuss how it is improving the lives and economic opportunities of participants - particularly young people.

India's government endorsed Banga's candidacy soon after his nomination was announced. Since then, a diverse coalition of governments has expressed their support for Banga, including Bangladesh, Cote d'Ivoire, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom.

During his global listening tour, Banga met with senior government officials, stakeholders, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and civil society. Along the way, he has built continuous momentum for his candidacy, gaining the support of advocates, academics, development experts, executives, Nobel Laureates, and former government officials.

If elected to serve, Banga will draw from his experience living and working in emerging markets and his expertise in forging public-private partnerships to mobilize investments and action to confront longstanding challenges. That includes his efforts at Mastercard to successfully bring 500 million previously unbanked people into the digital economy, as well as its support for 50 million small businesses.

(ANI)