The World Bank has appointed Robert Talierco O’brien as the Country Director for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone in the Western and Central African Regions. Taliercio’s appointment will take effect on January 2, 2024.

Taliercio is an American national who joined the World Bank in 2000 as a young professional in the Africa region and has served as a practice manager, lead economist, and country economist in multiple regions, including East Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Central Asia, and Africa.

According to the World Bank, his top three priorities will be to oversee the delivery and implementation of lending and non-lending portfolios, lead the bank’s strategic dialogue with the three countries, support the implementation of Africa’s priorities, and deepen the policy dialogue and partnership with governments and key stakeholders.

Taliercio’s most recent assignment was as regional director for the Equitable Growth, France, and Institutions (EFI) department.

Before joining the World Bank, Talierco was a lecturer in public finance at the Harvard Institute for International Development. He also served as a visiting professor at the Bolivian Catholic University.

Taliercio holds a PhD and a masters in public policy from Harvard University, a Masters of Arts in Latin American studies from Stanford University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University. He has written about public finance policy and administration in academic journals, books, and development publications.

He has also received service awards from the Ministers of Finance of the Republic of Korea and the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Taliercio will be based in the World Bank’s Accra Office.