The President of the World Bank Group Ajay Banga is in Tanzania having jetted into the country on Sunday, January 26, 2025, ready to participate in the Africa Energy Summit and Mission 300 gathering taking place in Dar-es-salaam.
Ajay Banga is among the top speakers making presentations during the Africa Energy Summit which will be attended by more than 25 Heads of State from around the continent, hosted by the Tanzanian President, Samia Suluhu Hassan.
The World Bank President is responsible for chairing the meetings of the boards of directors and for overall management of the World Bank Group.
Born in South Asia, Ajay Banga was the Chief Executive Officer of Mastercard and former chairperson of the International Chamber of Commerce but currently serves as Vice Chairman at General Atlantic; he is the first President of the World Bank to come from India.
Banga, an American Citizen, became the President of the World Bank Group on the 2nd of June 2023 when he succeeded David Malpass also from the United States.
When he landed at the Julius Kambarage Nyerere International Airport, the World Bank President was received by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Dr Natu El-Maamry Mwamba and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cosato Chumi as well as the WB representative in Tanzania, Nathan Belete.
African nations are converging in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for a landmark gathering that promises to reshape the continent’s energy landscape.
The Africa Energy Summit 2025 brings together leaders, international partners, and key stakeholders to address one of Africa’s most pressing challenges: universal access to reliable, sustainable power.
Hosted through collaboration between Tanzania, the African Union, the African Development Bank Group, the World Bank Group, and the Rockefeller Foundation, the two-day summit is described to be a crucial step toward energizing Africa’s future.
The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group Amina J. Mohammed is also gracing the occasion and is among the speakers at the forum.
Other speakers during the Africa Energy Summit 2025 event include Dr. Rajiv J. Shah the President of the Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. Muhammed Al Jasser the Chairman of the Islamic Development Bank Group and Admassu Tadesse the Trade and Development Bank Group President and Managing Director.
There is also Damilola Ogunbiyi, the Chief Executive and Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All, and Co-Chair of UN-Energy, Woochong Um; the Chief Executive Officer of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and Solomon Quaynor the Vice President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialization at the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Other delegates to address the summit are Joseph Nganga, the current Mission 300 Special Envoy, Vice President at the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet and CEO of the inaugural Africa Climate Summit and Semkae Kilonzo, the Executive Director of the Policy Forum in Tanzania.