The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has announced the appointment of Kyle Kelhofer as Senior Country Manager for Sierra Leone.
Mr Kelhofer, a US national, is also responsible for four other countries as Senior Country, including Liberia, Benin, Ghana and Togo.
His appointment was revealed via a press statement issued by the World Bank Country Office on Monday.
The IFC is a member of the World Bank Group, and it is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets.
Kelhofer, according to the Bank, previously worked for IFC in Ghana and he brings almost 30 years of global development experience to his new role supporting private sector growth, job creation, and recovery from COVID-19 in West Africa.
Kelhofer joined IFC in 1998 and has worked on energy-efficiency financing in Eastern Europe, SME financing in sub-Saharan Africa, post-conflict finance in the Middle East, and on IFC’s first subnational financings in Latin America. He was based in Ghana with IFC from 2007-2010, focused on strengthening the country’s oil, telecoms, and financial sectors, among others.
Kelhofer’s most recent role at IFC was Senior Country Manager for Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam, and previous to that, Country Manager for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. In his new role the American will be based in Accra.
“It is exciting to be back in West Africa and I look forward to working with the IFC team to make a positive impact here. COVID-19, climate change, poverty, and unemployment are all serious and interlocked challenges, but working with public and private sector partners, we can help the region build a foundation for strong and sustainable growth,” Kelhofer was quoted in the press statement.
IFC’s focus Sierra Leone, Benin, Ghana, Liberia, and Togo includes supporting the agribusiness sector, bridging the infrastructure and connectivity gaps, promoting digital inclusion, and financing micro, small, and medium enterprises. These are all important issues for the Sierra Leone government.
Before joining IFC, Kelhofer worked at Ernst & Young’s National High Technology Practice in San Francisco. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Dartmouth College and a master’s degree in international finance from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
“Kyle’s broad experience across multiple sectors and regions, including West Africa and Asia, will serve him well in his new role. I welcome him to the region and look forward to working with him to help bring greater opportunity to the private sector and support economic development in his cluster of countries and beyond,” said Aliou Maiga, IFC’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
Kelhofer succeeds Nigerian Ronke-Amoni Ogunsulire.
With presence in more than 100 countries, IFC uses its capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2021, the institution said it committed a record $31.5 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
