The World Bank has inaugurated a new regional hub in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to serve the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (MENAAP) region. This hub is co-located with the World Bank Group’s Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regional office, bringing the Bank’s leadership closer to country teams, clients, and regional partners. The relocation of the MENAAP regional Vice President and practice directors to Riyadh marks a significant expansion of the World Bank’s operational presence in the region.
Ousmane Dione, Vice President for the MENAAP region, highlighted Riyadh as a gateway to regional transformation and a platform for global knowledge exchange and policy innovation. The announcement coincided with Saudi National Day, underscoring the Kingdom’s evolving role as a global convener of development knowledge.
The opening of the Riyadh hub also celebrates 50 years of technical cooperation between the World Bank and Saudi Arabia. Over the past five decades, the Bank has supported major sectoral reforms in the Kingdom through advisory services, technical assistance, and capacity development.
Complementing this effort, the World Bank Group and Saudi Arabia recently launched a global Knowledge Hub (K-Hub) in Riyadh. The K-Hub aims to facilitate regional and global knowledge exchange, promote joint research, and strengthen capacity-building initiatives to advance sustainable development outcomes across the MENAAP region and beyond.
