The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has appointed Ms Malinne Blomberg, a Swedish national, as Country Manager for Tunisia in addition to her current roles as Deputy Director General for North Africa and Country Manager for Libya and Mauritania.

Blomberg, a seasoned development finance professional with more than 25 years of experience, has served extensively in policy dialogue, portfolio and project management, advisory services, resource mobilization and outreach in both public and private sectors.

Through financial diplomacy, she built her career at the African Development Bank around partnerships with governments, the private sector and wide-ranging stakeholders to scale up financing and investments for Africa’s transformation. She joined the Bank in 2008 as a financial management specialist in the Water and Sanitation Department. She later headed its division covering West and Central Africa.

Blomberg was previously the Bank’s Country Manager for Egypt, where she managed a portfolio of $3 billion.

She also worked in the Agriculture and Agribusiness Department, focusing on climate finance. Her work has spanned Africa’s five regions, covering business development, structuring innovative investment projects and special initiatives, and promoting private sector participation with a focus on infrastructure.

Before joining the Bank, Blomberg worked for Arthur Andersen Business Consulting in the United Kingdom and on assignments in other global financial hubs as a manager in the financial services industry through 2001. In Uganda from 2003 to 2007, she served as Financial and Institutional Advisor to the ministry of Water and Environment, supporting national efforts to strengthen institutional effectiveness and fund utilization and managing the ministry’s multi-donor trust fund.

Commenting on her appointment, Blomberg said: “As Country Manager for Tunisia, I am looking forward to deepening the strategic partnership between the Bank and the Country, and expanding the Bank’s support, especially in light of climate change and global events requiring new approaches and fast implementation for transformative results.”

African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, said: “Ms. Blomberg is a proven results-oriented leader with extensive experience in leading country programme operations. As the current Deputy Director General for the North Africa Region, coupled with her experience serving as Country Manager for Egypt, Libya and Mauritania, Ms. Blomberg possesses in-depth knowledge of the region. She will help to ensure the continuity of high-level proactive policy dialogue to further strengthen the Bank’s partnership with the government, private sector and other development partners to generate more opportunities for financing and investments in Tunisia, a very important hub for the North Africa Region.”