International financial institution the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has appointed economist Amena Arif IFC Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia and Malawi (East Africa) country manager.

Arif will help the IFC strengthen the private sector, create jobs and opportunities and help businesses and economies in the region recover from the effects of Covid-19. She will be based in Nairobi.

The IFC’s focus in East Africa includes bridging the infrastructure gap in housing and healthcare, improving transport and energy infrastructure, boosting agricultural productivity and supporting businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in the post-Covid-19 recovery phase.

“East Africa’s private sector has proved resilient, including through the Covid-19 crisis, but it can be a more powerful engine of growth going forward, delivering equitable and sustainable growth.

"The IFC and its partners are well positioned to support the private sector through the challenges together,” says Arif.

She will oversee all advisory and investment operations in her cluster of countries, focusing on developing new investment opportunities and supporting clients to create jobs.

Arif previously served as IFC Sri Lanka and Maldives country manager, where she helped grow IFC’s portfolio and deepen its impact. She also led IFC’s debt and equity investment transactions working with financial institutions in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Lebanon.

“Amena's combination of skills and experience will prove invaluable in a region that has made excellent progress strengthening its private sector, but that today faces numerous challenges, including from Covid-19 and climate change,” says IFC Eastern Africa regional director Jumoke Jagun-Dokunmu.

Arif holds an MBA from the Lahore University of Management Sciences in her native Pakistan. She joined the IFC in 2012 after building a career in commercial banking with Citibank and ABN AMRO Bank.

She succeeds Manuel Moses, who moved to a new role outside IFC after successfully serving as IFC East Africa country manager for five years.