Anna Bjerde, managing director of Operations of the World Bank, said that the changes were part of a continuous effort to improve bank operations, simplify customer access and place senior managers near the countries to which they provide their services .
It will affect 11 regional vice presidents of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (BIRF), the International Development Association (AIF), which serves the poorest countries, and the International Financial Corporation (CFI), as well as regional directors.
Two knowledgeable sources of the Plan said that the members of the Bank Executive Committee were generally favorable when they were informed of the plan in recent weeks.
The initiative has been promoted by the president of the World Bank, Ajay Banga, since he arrived at the bank in June 2023, and is not related to the recent Trump administration measures to cancel US foreign aid and withdraw the United States from the United States international institutions, sources said.
The plans for the operations centers are still being completed, the bank said, taking into account the flight options, the proximity to customers and the quality of life for the staff. Dubai, Singapore and Nairobi are probable options, according to sources.
The first transfers could already occur in May, and the changes would be fully applied in the next two years, according to a source familiar with the plans. The Latin America and the Caribbean team will remain in Washington, according to the bank.
