The World Bank Group is intensifying its engagement with West African economies as they navigate recovery, reform, and long-term development challenges. This week, the institution’s Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer, Pascal Donohoe, will undertake his first official visit to the region since assuming office in late 2025, with scheduled stops in Ghana and Liberia. The visit comes at a time when both countries are pursuing economic reforms aimed at stabilizing public finances, expanding energy access, and strengthening private sector investment. For Liberia, the visit offers an opportunity to deepen cooperation with one of its most significant development partners while exploring new avenues for job creation, infrastructure development, and institutional strengthening. THE ANALYST reports.
Pascal Donohoe, World Bank Group Managing Director and Chief Knowledge Officer, will visit Ghana and Liberia from March 15 to 20, 2026. The trip marks his first visit to West Africa since his appointment in November 2025 and underscores the World Bank Group’s continued engagement with the region.
The visit highlights the institution’s support for Ghana’s macroeconomic recovery and its broader commitment to translating policy reforms into sustainable economic growth and job creation through private capital mobilization, knowledge partnerships, and global technical expertise.
During the visit, Mr. Donohoe is expected to meet with President John Mahama in Accra and President Joseph Nyuma Boakai in Monrovia. He will also hold high-level discussions with senior government officials on key development priorities in both countries, focusing on accelerating job creation, improving electricity access through the Mission 300 initiative, and strengthening economic governance.
The meetings will also spotlight efforts to improve development outcomes across several strategic sectors, including infrastructure expansion, agricultural transformation through the AgriConnect initiative, and tackling learning poverty in education systems.
In Accra, the World Bank Managing Director will meet with Ghana’s Minister of Finance, the Speaker of Parliament, development partners, civil society leaders, and representatives of the business community and African-based think tanks to discuss scalable solutions to pressing development challenges.
According to a release, Mr. Donohoe will also deliver a lecture at the University of Ghana titled “Building Skills, Creating Jobs, and Empowering Africa’s Future.”
As part of his engagements in Ghana, he will visit the Ghana Accountability and Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP), a flagship education initiative aimed at improving learning outcomes in basic education.
The release also noted that he will also tour Africa’s largest single rooftop solar installation—the LMI solar project, which generates 16.82 megawatts of electricity for businesses operating within the Tema Free Zone Enclave.
While in Liberia, Donohoe is scheduled to meet with the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, the Executive Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia, and private sector leaders to discuss priority sectors including education, energy, and private investment.
His itinerary in Liberia also includes a visit to the Mount Coffee Hydro-Power Plant, the country’s principal electricity generation facility, which currently supplies approximately 88 megawatts of electricity to Monrovia and surrounding communities.
The Mount Coffee site is also hosting the construction of a 20-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant, a project aimed at diversifying Liberia’s energy mix and improving power reliability.
The World Bank Group has maintained a long-standing partnership with Ghana dating back to 1957. The current World Bank portfolio in Ghana stands at US$4.24 billion across 22 projects.
Over the past two fiscal years, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group’s private sector arm, has invested more than US$800 million in Ghana. Since July 2025 alone, IFC commitments have exceeded US$520 million.
Meanwhile, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) maintains an active exposure in Ghana totaling approximately US$330 million, supporting investments in infrastructure, energy, and financial services.
In Liberia, the World Bank maintains an active portfolio valued at US$936.80 million across 18 projects, supporting critical sectors including infrastructure development, energy expansion, health systems strengthening, disease surveillance, agriculture, fisheries, social protection systems, governance reforms, water supply, and women’s empowerment.
The Bank’s programs in Liberia also support improvements in the country’s investment climate, financial sector development, and trade facilitation.
The International Finance Corporation currently maintains an active investment portfolio in Liberia valued at approximately US$12.6 million, while the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency holds a guarantee portfolio of US$81 million supporting a cross-border telecommunications investment project issued in 2023.