(AfDB ) - The African Development Bank Group has appointed Dr. Emmanuel Pinto Moreira as Director of Special Operations in the President’s Cabinet Office, effective 1 July 2024.

Dr. Pinto Moreira, a Beninise economist, brings to the role over three decades

of experience in macro-fiscal, growth, poverty, economic governance, trade, and competitiveness-related work. His career spans middle-income and low-income countries in the Middle East and North Africa, East Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

In his new role, Moreira will focus on the initiative in the Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy to revalue Africa’s green wealth, working closely with the Economic Governance and Knowledge Management Vice Presidency, and other stakeholders.

He has previously held various senior positions at the Bank, including Lead Advisor in the Economic Governance and Knowledge Management Vice Presidency, and Director of the Country Economics Department.

Before joining the African Development Bank, Moreira worked at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for about 20 years. He was the World Bank’s Regional Lead Economist for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, leading policy dialogue with Maghreb countries on designing vision documents and providing policy advice on critical economic issues facing these countries. He also led the preparation of the Macro-Poverty Outlook for 18 countries and managed the knowledge agenda in the MENA region. He also served as the World Bank’s Acting Country Director for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo.

At the IMF, Moreira served as a Senior Economist and Senior Advisor to the Executive Director for 24 Francophone African countries. Earlier in his career, he taught undergraduate courses in macroeconomics, statistics, econometrics and microeconomics at the University of Lorraine (France), where he earned his PhD and MSc in Macroeconomics.

Commenting on his appointment, Moreira said: “I am truly honored and excited about this new position. I will work closely with all relevant colleagues and leverage the whole ecosystem of the Bank to deliver the green wealth agenda to the benefit of our continent.”

African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina praised Moreira’s accomplishments: “The Bank Group will benefit immensely from his policy, research and analytical skills, coupled with his immense knowledge of socioeconomic issues facing the African continent and beyond.”