The World Bank has chosen Kenyan national, Michael Joseph, as its first fellow following the launch on Tuesday in Nairobi of a new global fellowship program to tap new expertise into its development work and strengthen its knowledge network.
The Fellowship program will enable the Bank to attract global technical and policy experts for three months to a year to provide new perspectives on policy, performance and implementation.
Fellows will also contribute to policy analysis, advise governments, promote knowledge sharing, and bring cutting-edge solutions to countries.
The first fellow under the program, Michael Joseph, will advise the Bank and governments on spreading the use of mobile phone banking, drawing on his knowledge and experience at the helm of Kenya’s largest telecommunications service provider.
“I am really deeply honoured to have been selected as the first fellow by the World Bank to share my knowledge and experience in mobile innovations,” said Michael Joseph, former Chief Executive Officer of Safaricom- Kenya’s giant mobile telephony and most profitable company in East Africa.
Joseph, who remains on the Board of Safaricom, has been credited with the success of the internationally renowned M-pesa, the mobile money platform that enables subscribers to make payments and move cash at a low cost, cutting out intermediaries.
As a World Bank Fellow, Joseph will provide strategic advice to the World Bank and governments beyond Africa on policy and regulatory issues to promote development of mobile banking and mobile payments.
According to World Bank Country Director for Kenya Johannes Zutt, “sharing knowledge on telecommunications innovations, including mobile money, can make an important contribution to Africa’s reform and development.”
“The global sharing of knowledge and innovation will boost growth opportunities for African countries, contributing to better equity and poverty reduction,” said the World Bank.
Mobile phones are now the leading means of voice communications and internet access, connecting communities and expanding opportunities for economic development.
According to World Bank, in 2010, the world reached 5.3 billion mobile subscriptions, with more than three billion of them in developing countries. These include 450 million in Africa, representing a penetration of 43 percent.
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