IFC Mekong region has a new director

Mr. Thomas Jacobs succeeds Mr. Kyle Kelhofer – who has taken over the new position as Senior Country Manager for Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Togo.

Mr. Thomas is an American citizen, joined IFC in 2003 and has worked in various regions, including Central Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific island nations. After being appointed, he will work in Hanoi.

IFC’s new country director for the Mekong region said it will prioritize increasing access to credit for local businesses, expanding renewable energy development and promoting climate-smart initiatives to support the programme. climate agendas of countries.

“It is important to help countries drive future growth in a sustainable way to develop their economies without harming the environment,” he said.

IFC is a member of the World Bank group. The organization operates in over 100 countries. In fiscal year 2021, IFC’s total long-term investments in private companies and financial institutions in developing countries totaled $31.5 billion.

“As economies recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, Thomas and the IFC team will continue to support Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to rebuild stronger and greener, unleashing the potential of the private sector. to drive productivity, competition and innovation across economies,” said Kim-See Lim, IFC’s Regional Director for East Asia and Pacific.

IFC’s investment in Vietnam has also increased sharply in the past 5 years, expanding from investment in financial and banking institutions to other fields, focusing on infrastructure, renewable energy and business. agribusiness as well as promoting innovative and smart initiatives related to climate change.

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