MIGA's Vice President to Visit South Africa and Tanzania

MIGA's Vice President to Visit South Africa and Tanzania

Washington, November 30, 2012—Michel Wormser, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)—the political risk insurance arm of the World Bank Group—will visit South Africa and Tanzania from December 2-7. The overall objective of the visit is to discuss how MIGA's investment guarantees can help promote private sector investment in sub-Saharan Africa.

In South Africa, Wormser will meet with private sector investors and lenders. South African firms have made significant investments across sub-Saharan Africa with the backing of MIGA guarantees, and South Africa currently ranks in the top five host countries among MIGA's guarantee holders. In 2012, for example, MIGA provided investment guarantees to South African investors and lenders going into Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, and Zambia.

"South African investors are expected to continue to play a very important role going forward, especially as the euro-zone crisis has curtailed traditional sources of investment," says Wormser. "MIGA's guarantees can help investors riskier markets, including countries recovering from conflict."

In Tanzania, Wormser will meet with the private sector and government officials to discuss how MIGA's investment guarantees can encourage developmentally beneficial foreign investment in the country, especially in energy and agribusiness. Supporting investments into sub-Saharan Africa is a priority for the agency, and MIGA has supported projects across the continent in all sectors, from large mining, infrastructure, and telecommunications projects to smaller manufacturing and agribusiness ventures.

"The recent World Bank economic update for Tanzania notes the need to support agricultural commercialization and diversification so that the 80 percent of Tanzania’s population living in rural areas can benefit from the country's remarkable growth," says Wormser. "It also highlights the country's acute energy shortage, which has the potential to slow this impressive growth trajectory. We are eager to discuss ways in which MIGA can support more investment into these areas."

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MULTILATERAL INVESTMENT GUARANTEE AGENCY
A Member of the World Bank Group
1818 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20433

MIGA Contact:
Mallory Saleson, MIGA
Tel: +1 202 473-0844
E-mail: msaleson@worldbank.org

Rebecca Post, MIGA
Tel: +1 202-473-1964
E-mail: rpost@worldbank.org

Cara Santos Pianesi
Tel: +1.202.458.2097
E-mail: csantospianesi@worldbank.org