Dr. Victoria Kwakwa

Dr. Victoria Kwakwa is a seasoned PhD economist and development leader with extensive experience in helping countries design and successfully implement policies, programs and investments to address key obstacles to growth, jobs and development. She has worked for the World Bank as economist, country manager and country director in Nigeria, Rwanda, and Vietnam respectively, focusing on a range of issues including growth and economic competitiveness, fiscal policy, private sector development, infrastructure investment, access to finance and financial inclusion.

Dr. Kwakwa has also been entrusted with highly sensitive leadership roles and served as a Vice President of the World Bank for almost a decade, both in East Asia and in Africa. She recently completed an assignment as Regional Vice President for East and Southern Africa, responsible for forty percent of World Bank lending to the poorest countries including for programs and investments to build high-quality infrastructure, power and integrate economies, spur innovation and economic transformation and create jobs.

Dr. Kwakwa currently oversees the work of the International Growth Center in Zambia and serves on a number of Boards including for Africa50, the African Center for Economic Transformation and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture.

A Ghanaian national, Dr. Kwakwa holds a PhD in Economics from Queen’s University, Canada and a Combined bachelor’s degree in Economics and Statistics from the University of Ghana.