Africa-Press – Botswana. Former Ministry of Finance secretary for economic and financial policy Dr Taufila Nyamadzabo has returned home after serving as a World Bank board executive director for the past four years.
And according to President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, Dr Nyamadzabo acquitted himself well at the Bretton Woods institution executing his tasks diligently.
“You have been away on duty and having completed your assignment, it is proper that since you went out under our watch that you return home and brief us.
We are grateful that you have executed your tasks well,” the President said when receiving him at the Office of the President on Monday.
Dr Nyamadzabo, who was appointed in 2020 and served as head of secretariat for 22 Anglophone African countries, enumerated some achievements made during his tenure.
“We managed to raise resources for the 74 least developed countries, initially US82 billion and later US93 billion. Botswana also assisted in raising those funds and we are grateful for your approval of that support, which assists the world’s poorest states.
The World Bank also provided US14 billion towards COVID-19 support,” he said.
Dr Nyamadzabo said the secretariat questioned the bank’s accountability mechanism where borrowing states had to satisfy economic and social requirements resulting in a dispensation allowing countries to have greater influence over implementing their plans.
“Another thing is the intermediate jurisdiction, such as when a country is grey listed there is the problem of funding and stringent measures are imposed which at times ought not to be there, and we asked for space for developing states to be able to access financing without hindrance,” Dr Nyamadzabo said.
He revealed that he had campaigned for equal treatment for the 22 English speaking countries he represented.
“One of the things I did was to review the rules of engagement.
For example Botswana qualified to have an advisor for 12 years, but they gave it to other countries.
I started a system to ensure that manipulating the system for the benefit of some at the expense of others does not happen and is monitored closely in the future,” he said. Dr Nyamadzabo said he also came up with a four-year strategy to develop the 22-member constituency ensuring that there were specific targets to be implemented.
“Another issue was to start a programme to engage the senior management of the World Bank, the vice presidents and each of the organs of the World Bank to help the middle-income countries instead of focusing largely on least developed states,” he said.
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