Cheick Kanté is the World Bank Country Director for Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, and Equatorial Guinea. Since joining the World Bank, he has held various leading positions, including at IFC, the most recent being Operations Manager for Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Guinea, and Togo, coordinating a portfolio of over 60 projects and programs. He is passionate about economic development, particularly financial access, regional economic integration, and spatial inequality. A Malian native, Mr. Kanté holds a B.A. in Education from Bamako’s École Normale Supérieure and an M.B.A. from the University of Arizona.