The new Resident Representative for Haiti of the IFC (International Finance Corporation), a member of the World Bank Group, the Ivorian Sylvain Kakou, based in Port-au-Prince since November 1, declared "Haiti is a country of tremendous potential and promis. IFC’s clients are already making an impact, demonstrating that sound investments can promote inclusive and sustainable development. I look forward to working with our long term partners and forging new relationships that leverage the power of the private sector to address Haiti’s challenges and help the country continue to grow."

Sylvain Kakou will be responsible for coordinating the program of investment and advisory services of the IFC in Haiti whose portfolio in Haiti currently amounts to $79 million, including $24 million mobilized from other partners. The portfolio is expected to grow this fiscal year to approximately $140 million, with new investments in the manufacturing, infrastructure and financial sectors. Through advisory programs with the private sector and the government, IFC supports access to finance, public-private partnerships, improvements to Haiti’s investment climate, and programs that make small and medium enterprises more productive.

Learn more about Sylvain Kakou :

Originally from Côte d'Ivoire, Kakou joined IFC in March 2006 in Johannesburg as a key member of the Africa team with responsibilities for originating business, processing, and managing the portfolio for agribusiness projects. In July 2010 he was named IFC Country Head for Zambia and in 2013 also began covering Malawi, to lead IFC business development efforts with a focus on priority sectors such as agribusiness, manufacturing, financial markets and infrastructure.

Prior to joining IFC, Kakou worked with Citibank’s corporate finance Africa division, with HSBC Bank’s Sub-Saharan Africa hub, and with Côte d'Ivoire's Government think-tank, BNETD, to promote private sector infrastructure investments. He holds an MBA in finance from Drexel University, a Masters in International Project Management from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP), and a Masters in Economics from Université Nationale de Côte d’Ivoire.

HL/ HaitiLibre