Mr. Firas Raad is the World Bank Country Manager for Malawi. Mr. Raad, a Jordanian national has over 27 years of experience as a development and health policy professional working for the World Bank Group, the United Nations, and with the Jordanian Government.
His previous positions in the World Bank, included serving as a Country Manager for South Sudan, Malaysia, and Kuwait. He also served as Head of Mission for the Office of the Quartet Representative in East Jerusalem (while on secondment from the World Bank) – and as a Human Development Coordinator for the GCC Countries and Senior Health Specialist in the World Bank’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region.
Mr. Raad will be based in Lilongwe and will oversee the World Bank’s portfolio in Malawi which consists of 30 IDA lending operations with a total commitment amount of $3.39 billion of which 8 projects (worth $862.28 million) are regional projects. These are complemented by $161.19 million in trust funds (both Bank and Recipient Executed).
He has a Doctorate and Masters Degree in International Health Policy and Economics from the Harvard School of Public Health; a Master’s Degree in International Relations (with a focus on Macroeconomics and Middle Eastern Studies) from the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Johns Hopkins University. He speaks Arabic and English.