ON Friday, the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank drew the curtain on nominations  for  the position of World Bank President, as Robert Zoellick plans to step down in June. Three candidates: Jim Yong Kim, Jose Antinio Ocampo and Dr. (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala have been short-listed

Mr. Jim Yong Kim is a US national and President of Dartmouth College, New Hampshire. The Korean-born Kim, 52, according to US Today, represents a break from the financiers and bureaucrats, who have run the World Bank. He is seen as a very smart man and has many of the characteristics that any one would look for in a World Bank President, but lacks experience in boosting economic growth, a key part of the bank’s mission.

José Antonio Ocampo on the other hand is a Colombian national and professor at Columbia University, New York. He  is a US-trained economist, who has excellent credentials in academia, national politics and at the United Nations. He has held posts as Agriculture Minister, Planning Minister and Central Bank Chairman in Colombia’s government. He is currently a professor at Columbia University in New York, but has no support from his home government, which is looking forward to ILO Presidency.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on her part is a respected economist and diplomat. She has spent more than two decades in numerous positions at the World Bank. Ordinarily, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, who until recently served as one of the bank’s managing directors would be expected by experience to pick up the job.

But the President of the World Bank is  decided mainly by super powers led by America. It is a known fact that since the inception of the World Bank, the President has always been an America. This is   as a result of a tacit agreement between Europe and America that says when Europe has its citizen as Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, the United States of America will produce the President of the World Bank.

While the US has nominated Kim, Angola, Nigeria and South Africa in fact the entire African leadership has endorsed the nomination of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as a candidate to take over the leadership of the bank, when Robert Zoellick steps down in June.

“The endorsement is in line with the belief that the appointment of the leadership of the World Bank and its sister institution, the International Monetary Fund, should be merit-based, open and transparent. It was a rare show of unity among African countries often at loggerheads as they strive for dominance on the continent.

The United States faces an unprecedented challenge to its grip on the World Bank Presidency, with emerging African economies nominating a candidate   for the top job at the global development Bank. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has the credentials for the job, and many people believe that  her credential  is good enough for the job. Her nomination is good for Nigeria and the continent as all key stakeholders have supported it.

African leaders expect an open and fair selection for the appropriate person to take the position. There is a strong belief that Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s credentials speak for her, and we hope for a positive outcome.”