Vice President, Infrastructure, Private Sector and Regional Integration

Gilbert Mbesherubusa is the new Vice-President for Infrastructure, Private Sector and Regional Integration of the African Development Bank. He was appointed to the position on December 12, 2012.

As an Africa specialist with sound practical knowledge of the continent’s infrastructure needs, Gilbert Mbesherubusa is taking over a strategic Vice-Presidency which accounts for more than 70 per cent of the African Development Bank’s commitments over the period 2007-2012, to the tune of some US $27 billion (compared to a total of approximately US $39 billion for the entire Bank).

His duties will consist, among other responsibilities, in dealing with the many challenges facing the continent. There is an upsurge in infrastructure demand, especially at the regional level in Africa. This is matched by a rapid development of private sector operations, an urgent need to combat climate change in Africa and to put the continent on track towards green growth.

These are some of the challenges that this engineer by education is conversant with after 30 years spent at the highest levels of the African Development Bank.

Gilbert Mbesherubusa is familiar with his new post, for which he has been acting since February 2012, after heading the Infrastructure Department (Transport and Energy) since 2004-2010, and followed by the Transport and ICT Department. Under his leadership, the AfDB has funded many structural transportation projects for the continent as a whole (international corridors, airports, roads and highways, and railways) with a strong impact on the improvement of the living conditions of populations, including women. Some of these projects have been highly acclaimed by the beneficiary countries or have won international awards.

Gilbert Mbesherubusa has held, throughout his career at the AfDB, several key positions which helped him gain a broad vision of the Bank’s functioning. After holding the position of Division Manager, North, East and South Operations (Infrastructure Department), from 1996 to 2001, he served as head of the pivotal Procurement Unit from 2002 to 2003.

Prior to joining the Bank in 1982 as a civil and transport engineer, Gilbert had built a field experience of four years in the infrastructure sector in Burundi. He concurrently worked as an Engineer/Director responsible for the Department of Civil Engineering at the consultancy firm SOMEBU and as a part-time lecturer at the University of Burundi between 1978 and 1982.

He holds a certificate in transport economics from Université d’Eté de Lyon (France) and is a graduate of civil engineering from the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium).

Gilbert Mbesherubusa is married and the father of five children.