Ms. Hela Cheikhrouhou, IFC’s Vice President for the Middle East, Central Asia, Turkiye, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, is visiting Tajikistan from November 6 to 9 to highlight IFC's commitment to supporting the country’s efforts to achieve resilient and inclusive economic growth through increased private sector investments.
Press release issued by IFC says Ms. Cheikhrouhou is holding talks with senior government officials, development partners, and private sector players on scaling up IFC’s engagements in the country and catalyzing more investments in key sectors of the economy.
The meetings are reportedly part of IFC’s broader efforts to support the development of the private sector and help businesses deal with a host of economic challenges, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
“IFC is committed to supporting Tajikistan’s vision to build a dynamic, private-sector driven and export-oriented market economy, create high-quality jobs, and achieve sustainable long-term growth,” said Ms. Cheikhrouhou.
Ms. Hela Cheikhrouhou is in charge of expanding IFC’s business in the region, focusing on the COVID-19 crisis response and building a pipeline of private sector investment opportunities, rooted in country strategies.
She fosters strong relationships with government officials, clients, other development finance institutions, co-financiers, donors, and counterparts across the World Bank Group to identify opportunities for collaboration and broader impact as well as to enhance business delivery.
Previously, Cheikhrouhou was the CEO of Nithio, an artificial-intelligence-driven platform for clean energy investment. In her home country of the Republic of Tunisia, she served as the Minister of Energy, Mining, and Renewables. She was the first Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund, governed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Earlier on, Cheikhrouhou was the Director of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change for the African Development Bank, where she had also previously led the Private Infrastructure Finance and Public-Private Partnerships Division. She worked for the World Bank on financial sector development in Latin America and the Caribbean, joining through the Young Professionals Program. She started her career at Citibank, last serving as Regional Market Risk Manager for Maghreb countries and Country Treasurer for Morocco.
Ms. Cheikhrouhou brings 26 years of experience to IFC, including leadership roles in the financial sector, infrastructure finance, and climate finance in emerging and developing economies, having worked across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. She has experience in the areas of low-emission and climate-resilient investments, structured and blended finance, public-private partnerships, capital markets development, and financial inclusion.
Ms. Cheikhrouhou holds a Master of Science degree in Finance from HEC Montreal, Canada.
IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. It works in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2022, IFC committed a record US$32.8 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of global compounding crises.
