Simeon Ehui was appointed Regional Director for Sustainable Development for Africa on July 1, 2019. His main responsibilities, among other things, are to: (1) provide vision, coherence and focus for the sustainable Practice Group in Africa consistent with the regional/country strategies; (2) ensure that regional and country operations are informed by global strategies; (3) deliver the Sustainable Development regional and country engagement programs in Africa and (4) ensure that Corporate commitments at the regional level are achieved.
Prior to his appointment, Simeon was Director of the World Bank’s Food and Agriculture Global Practice (2017-2019).Since joining the World Bank in 2003, Simeon has held a number of assignments. He was manager of the Food and Agriculture Global Practice for Africa (2015-2017) and South Asia (2009-2015). He also served as Lead Economist and Sector Leader for the Sustainable Development Network in Nigeria covering a variety of sectors such as agriculture, environment, transport and energy.
Before joining the World Bank, Simeon worked for 15 years in the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). He managed multi-country agricultural research development programs in Africa and Asia for both the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).
Simeon holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University and has published extensively in his field. He is an honorary fellow of the African Agricultural Economist Association, and a Distinguished Agricultural Alumnus of Purdue University.