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The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has appointed Asari Efiong as its first country head of Côte d’Ivoire, which became a Bank member and country of operation in 2025.
Ms Efiong will be based in Abidjan and will lead the establishment of the EBRD’s presence and business in the country, reporting to Heike Harmgart, Managing Director for sub-Saharan Africa.
The move follows the Board of Governors’ approval – at the EBRD’s 2023 Annual Meeting in Samarkand – of amendments to the Agreement Establishing the EBRD, enabling the Bank to operate in sub-Saharan Africa and Iraq.
Upon her appointment, Ms Efiong said: “I am deeply honoured to take on this responsibility of leading the Bank’s activities in Côte d’Ivoire, a country with a robust and dynamic economic growth story, tremendous potential and rich cultural heritage. I look forward to building impactful partnerships and contributing to inclusive, sustainable growth in Côte d’Ivoire.
A joint British and Nigerian national, Ms Efiong was previously Associate Director for Donor Partnerships at the EBRD, leading several donor-funded guarantee programmes, including the mobilisation of critical donor support for Ukraine. She joined the Bank in 2010 as a member of the Climate Strategy Delivery team, followed by a secondment in 2015 to the European Commission in Brussels.
Ms Efiong also has extensive experience in the financial sector, working for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Credit Lyonnais Securities and Morgan Stanley prior to joining the EBRD.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Lagos and a Master’s in Business Administration from Bayes Business School in London.
The EBRD promotes private-sector development in 39 emerging economies, helping them to transition towards a greener, more inclusive and more digital future. The Bank has invested more than €215 billion since its inception in 1991, with 79 per cent of this directed to the private sector.