Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Stephane Guimbert

Author

Stephane Guimbert
Division Director for Egypt, Yemen, and Djibouti, The World Bank

Stephane Guimbert was appointed Division Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti, effective August 1, 2023. Prior to this assignment, Guimbert was the Bank’s Operations Policy Director in the Operations Policy and Country Services Vice Presidency (OPCS). In this role, he led the Bank’s operations policy reform and interpretation for all financing instruments. He co-led the coordination of the IDA/IBRD COVID-19 vaccines program, the steering of the new Country Climate and Development Reports, and the methodology for Paris Alignment of all IDA/IBRD financing flows. He also established a coordination mechanism with other multilateral development banks (MDBs) on operational policies and strengthened the partnership with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In his previous position as Director of the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) Resource Mobilization and IBRD Corporate Finance department, he headed the team preparing and negotiating IDA replenishment strategies and policies, and coordinating their implementation across the institution. He managed the transformation of the IDA financial model and the creation of the IDA Private Sector Window. He also led the corporate finance function for the IDA and World Bank’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) balance sheets, including for the 2018 IBRD capital increase. He joined the World Bank in 2001, leading projects and analytical work in areas such as economic management, public finance management, private sector development, governance and trade. His work has taken him to Afghanistan, Cambodia, China, India, Kenya, Nepal, and Thailand. Prior to joining the Bank, he was economist at the Ministry of Economy and Finance in France, working on trade and tax policy. He holds Masters degrees from Ecole Polytechnique, ENSAE Paris and the Sorbonne University.

Content by this Author

Beyond job creation: how can Egypt’s gender gap in work be closed?

More than 2 million jobs are needed each year to absorb new entrants into Egypt’s labour market and raise the country’s employment rate. The job challenge is even more acute for women, whose labour force participation remains low despite recent gains in education. This column reports on the second Development Dialogue, an ERF–World Bank Group joint initiative, which brought together students, scholars, policy-makers and private sector leaders at the American University in Cairo to consider how the country’s gender gap in work can be closed.

Empowering Egypt’s young people for the future of work

Egypt’s most urgent priority is creating more and better jobs for its growing youth population. This column reports on the first Development Dialogue, an ERF–World Bank joint initiative, which brought together students, scholars, policy-makers and private sector leaders at Cairo University to confront the country’s labour market challenge. The conversation explored why youth inclusion matters, what the data show and how dialogue and the forthcoming Country Economic Memorandum can inform practical pathways to accelerate job creation.

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Labour demand and informal employment in Egypt’s manufacturing sector

Egypt’s manufacturing sector faces a dual challenge of weak job creation and persistent informality. Drawing on survey evidence on business behaviour and labour market dynamics, this column explains why job creation is limited and informal work remains such an integral part of how firms organise production. The generation of more formal jobs requires a comprehensive policy approach, one that goes beyond enforcement of labour regulations to reshape the economic environment in which firms and workers make decisions.

Challenges of conflict and industrial policy for development

How effective is industrial policy as a tool for long-term economic growth and development? Against the backdrop of the conflict currently engulfing the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAAP), a new report argues that while industrial policies are widely used across the region, they can only address market failures and foster growth when they are aligned with country capabilities, implemented with accountability and backed by capable institutions.

The green transition in MENA economies: challenges and policy pathways

The economies of the Middle East and North Africa are at a critical turning point. Global decarbonisation pressures, energy market volatility and technological transformation are increasingly challenging hydrocarbon-based growth models. This column argues that the green transition is not only an environmental necessity but also a strategic economic imperative.

Beyond job creation: how can Egypt’s gender gap in work be closed?

More than 2 million jobs are needed each year to absorb new entrants into Egypt’s labour market and raise the country’s employment rate. The job challenge is even more acute for women, whose labour force participation remains low despite recent gains in education. This column reports on the second Development Dialogue, an ERF–World Bank Group joint initiative, which brought together students, scholars, policy-makers and private sector leaders at the American University in Cairo to consider how the country’s gender gap in work can be closed.




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