Former Seychelles finance minister lands World Bank post – Pierre Laporte to assume country director role in Cote d’Ivoire

File photo taken on October 12, 2013 in Washington DC shows Pierre Laporte attending the 2013 World Bank Group/IMF Annual Meetings. (Steven Shapiro/World Bank/Flickr) Photo License: (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychellois Pierre Laporte, holder of a Master’s degree in Economics will be assuming the role of the World Bank’s Country Director in Cote d’Ivoire, as of November 1, 2015.

The former Seychelles Minister of Finance, Trade and Investment received official confirmation of his appointment to the position, last week.

In an interview with SNA this morning, Laporte explained that he will be based in Abidjan, taking charge of four other African countries; Guinea, Benin, Burkina Faso and Togo.

“I was invited by the World Bank to consider a few positions in late September, I was asked for an interview which I did and then this one came about,” he told SNA.

This is not the first time Laporte will be working for an international financial institution having worked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for some six years. He worked as an economist for three years before he became the fund’s resident representative in Niger from 2005 to 2008.

“As a Seychellois having worked for the IMF and now the World Bank, the biggest development institution especially at the level of director, it is a massive achievement for myself and for the country,” said Laporte adding that he feels very happy and honoured to have been given the opportunity to be part of the World Bank staff.

To note that he now joins another Seychellois Dr Peter Larose who also holds a top post with the Washington DC-based international institution. Larose was appointed Executive Director of the Africa Group 1 Constituency at the World Bank Group in October last year.

Laporte’s imminent departure, however, comes barely four months after he was appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of the SACOS Group.

“SACOS is having a board meeting tomorrow [Tuesday] and the members intend to discuss the likelihood or appointing an interim CEO upon my departure at the end of the month, then thereafter they will decide who will be the permanent CEO…”

Laporte became the SACOS Group’s CEO in June this year after he joined the private sector as a financial consultant in February 2015. This followed his exit as the Seychelles Minister of Finance, Trade and Investment.

He was appointed to the post of minister in March 2012 after having served for almost four years as the archipelago's Central Bank Governor, from November 2008.

Laporte has played a key role in the implementation of the country’s successful economic reform process since the IMF-assisted programme started in 2008 as well as Seychelles' accession to the World Trade Organisation, WTO.