Ayodeji takes over from Kariuki as World Bank Country Manager for Uganda

The outgoing World Bank Country Manager for Uganda Kariuki (right) bid farewell to Uganda President Museveni in the past week

Entebbe, Uganda | INDP | The World Bank has named Francisca Ayodeji (Ayo) Akala, a Nigerian national, as the new Country Manager for Uganda, effective August 1, 2025. She replaces Mukami Kariuki, who has completed her four-year tour of duty. ‎‎ Akala will lead a country portfolio currently worth $4.5 billion, which includes 18 active projects that cover sectors ranging from energy access to refugee livelihood support. ‎‎

As Country Manager, Ayo, as she is better known, will also lead the design and implementation of the World Bank’s evolving support program and daily dialogue with the government. The Bank says it will continue to align its support with Uganda’s development priorities and focus on helping to foster faster, more resilient, and more inclusive growth that will create more, better, and more inclusive jobs. ‎‎
Ayo has more than 25 years of experience in strengthening health systems, service delivery, and multi-sectoral approaches to public health challenges, including immunization, HIV/AIDS, malaria, non-communicable diseases, and malnutrition. ‎‎She has led major health initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, including in fragile and conflict-affected states.

Her expertise ranges from program implementation to policy development, with a strong focus on improving outcomes for women, children, and adolescents. ‎‎She was also a core member of the World Bank’s Human Capital Project, supporting countries in scaling up investments in human development. ‎‎

Before this new assignment, Ayo held various positions in the World Bank, including Practice Manager for Health, Nutrition, and Population, overseeing 13 countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa region; Public Health Specialist in the Middle East and North Africa region; and Senior Health Specialist in the Eastern and Central Africa and South Asia regions. ‎‎

Ayo holds a bachelor’s degree in medicine from the University of Ibadan, a master’s degree in public health from the University of Lagos, and a master’s degree in health services management from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She will be based in Kampala, Uganda.

Kariuki, her predecessor, assumed her role on August 1, 2021, amid an economic slowdown when some sections of the economy, like education, tourism, and entertainment, were still under the COVID-19-induced lockdown. ‎‎

Her four-year tenure was also punctuated by the Bank’s two-year suspension of public financing to Uganda over the 2023 enactment of the anti-homosexuality law. ‎‎

She was also at the front of the Bank’s disagreement with Uganda over the latter’s proclamation of attaining the statistical requirements for a middle-income status, a status affirmed by the UN in 2024.‎‎ Ayo takes over when the country’s growth projections are between 6 and 7 percent in the midterm and more than 10 percent in 2027 and beyond

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