Dr. Sadiq Ahmed began his career as a Lecturer in Economics at the Dhaka University in 1974 and later worked at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies as a Research Fellow. Dr. Ahmed did his MSc from London School of Economics and PhD from Boston University. He joined the Young Professional program of the World Bank in 1981 and held several key positions: Country Economist, Egypt, the Middle East and North Africa Region; Principal Economist, Indonesia, PNG and Pacific Islands, East Asia and Pacific Region; Lead Economist, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan; Country Director, Pakistan and Afghanistan Program; Chief Economist, South Asia Region; Sector Director, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management, Finance and Private Sector, South Asia Region; and Senior Manager, Regional Programs, South Asia Region. He took early retirement from the World Bank in July 2009 to return back to Bangladesh to contribute to the development needs of the country.
Among the many books he published are: Managing Food Price Inflation in South Asia (with Hans Jansen), University Press Limited (Forthcoming 2010); Promoting Regional Cooperation in South Asia: Beyond SAFTA (with Saman Kelegama and Ejaz Ghani), Sage (Forthcoming 2010); South Asia: Accelerating Growth and Creating Jobs (with Ejaz Ghani), Oxford University Press, 2009; South Asia: Growth and Regional Integration (with Ejaz Ghani), Macmillan 2007; India’s Long-Term Growth Experience, Sage, 2007; Making Dhaka Livable (with Junaid Ahmad and Adeeb Mahmud), The University Press Limited, 2007; Growth and Poverty, The Development Experience of Bangladesh (with Wahiduddin Mahmud), The University Press Limited, 2006; Explaining South Asia’s Development Success: The Role of Good Policies, A World Bank Publication, 2006; Transforming Bangladesh Into A Middle Income Economy, Macmillan, 2005; Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics 2003: South Asia Component (with Suman Berry), National Council for Applied Economic Research, New Delhi, 2004. Additionally, Dr. Ahmed has 30 plus articles published in national and international journals, as well as in World Bank publications, on a range of subjects including public finance, international trade, macroeconomic policies, economic growth, poverty analysis and governance.
Dr. Ahmed has led key World Bank missions to Egypt, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. He has interacted regularly with senior government officials including finance ministers and chief ministers of states/provinces. He has participated in numerous international conferences, and has long experience in dealing with leading global multi-lateral agencies such as ADB, DFID, IMF, EU, and IsDB. He is recognized for his skills in doing policy analysis and negotiation and mobilizing international financing for development support. Dr. Ahmed has lectured extensively on key development topics including at the Foreign Policy Training Institute of the US State Department; The Georgetown University in Washington DC; Pakistan Defense College; Pakistan Institute of Development Economics; Indian Statistical Institute (Kolkata); Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations; Indian Institute for Defense Analysis; Sri Lanka Institute for Policy Studies; and the Bangladesh Defense College.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
1. B.A. (Honors) in Economics, First Class Third, Dhaka University , 1972
2. M.A. in Economics, First Class First, Dhaka University , 1974
3. M.Sc. in Economics, London School of Economics, 1976
4. Ph. D. in Economics, Boston University , 1984
Work Experience
1. Lecturer in Economics, Dhaka University , November 1974 -April 1975.
2. Economist Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, June 1975 -December 1980 (including study leave)
3. Young Professional, World Bank, Washington D.C. , January 1981-March 1982
4. Economist, Egypt Country Programs, World Bank, Washington D.C. , April 1982-October 1986
5. Senior Economist, Indonesia Country Programs, World Bank, Jakarta Office, November 1986 -December 1989.
6. Principal Economist, Indonesia, PNG and Pacific Islands, East Asia and Pacific Region, World Bank, Washington D.C., January 1990 -April 1992
7. Lead Economist, Pakistan , Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, South Asia Region, World Bank, Washington D.C. , May 1992 -April 1995
8. Chief of Mission, World Bank Pakistan Office, Islamabad , May 1995 -September 1997
9. Country Director, Pakistan and Afghanistan Program, World Bank, Islamabad , July 1997 -September 1999
10. Chief Economist, South Asia Region, World Bank, October 1999 -December 2003
11. Sector Director, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management, South Asia Region, Washington D.C. , October 2003 -September 2006
12. Sector Director, Poverty Reduction, Economic Management, Finance and Private Sector, South Asia Region, World Bank, Washington D.C. , October 2006-October 2007
13. Senior Manager, Regional Programs, South Asia Region, Washington D.C. November 2007-presently.
Honors and Awards
1. Best Student in Economics Award, Dhaka University 1974
2. Ford Foundation Fellowship, 1975-76
3. Boston University Graduate Student Fellowship Award, 1978-79
4. Boston University Teaching/Senior Fellow Award, 1979-1980.
5. High Trust Manager Recognition, 1999, World Bank
6. Allama Iqbal Memorial Lecture , Pakistan Society for Development Economics 2004
7. Bangladeshi American Foundation Incorporated (BAFI) Pride Award, Washington DC 2005
8. Invited Lectures: Indian Statistical Institute (Kolkata); Indian Council for International Economic Research ( New Delhi ); Indian Institute for Defense Studies Analysis ( New Delhi ); Bangladesh National Defense College ; Pakistan National Defense College ; US Foreign Service Training Institute ( Arlington ); Georgetown University ( Washington DC )
Competencies and Skills
• Expertise in handling development issues, especially in South Asia , based on 28 years of work experience and senior positions at the world’s best-known development institution.
• Proven track record of handling senior and complex managerial assignments involving interactions with senior policy makers, donor representatives and civil society leaders
• Recognized as a strong manager of people and resources
• A track record of implementing institutional change and building teams in a multi-cultural environment
• Excellent communication and inter-personal skills, including at Prime Minister/Chief Minister/Finance Minister levels
• Proven ability to negotiate and mobilize international financing for development support
Books and Publications
Books
Private Sector Development in Pakistan , jointly with Rohil Hafeez (eds), Nauman Aziz and Associates, Lahore
Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics 2003: South Asia Component (with Suman Berry ), National Council for Applied Economic Research, New Delhi , 2004
Transforming Bangladesh Into A Middle Income Economy , Macmillan, 2005
Explaining South Asia’s Development Success: The Role of Good Policies, A World Bank Publication, 2006
Growth and Poverty, The Development Experience of Bangladesh (with Wahidudin Mahmud), The University Press Limited, 2006
Making Dhaka Livable (with Junaid Ahmad and Adeeb Mahmud), The University Press Limited, 2007
South Asia : Growth and Regional Integration (with Ejaz Ghani), Macmillan 2007
India’s Long-Term Growth Experience , Sage, 2007
South Asia: Accelerating Growth and Creating Jobs (with Ejaz Ghani), Oxford University Press, 2009.
Promoting Regional Cooperation in South Asia : Beyond SAFTA (with Saman Kalegama and Ejaz Ghani), Sage (Forthcoming 2010)
Managing Food Price Inflation in South Asia (with Hans Jansen), University Press Limited (Forthcoming 2010).
Other Publications
“Global Food Price Inflation: Implications for South Asia , Policy Reactions and Future Challenges”, Policy Research Working Paper Series No. 4796 , World Bank, December 2008
“Making Cooperation Work For South Asia’s Poor”, with Ejaz Ghani, Policy Research Working Paper Series No. 4736 , World Bank, October 2008
“Regional Cooperation For Food Security in South Asia”, Indian Institute for Defense Studies Analysis , New Delhi , November 2008
“Battles Half Won: The Political Economy of India’s Growth and Economic Policy since Independence ” with Ashutosh Varshney, Commission on Growth and Development , Working Paper No. 15 , Washington DC , 2008
“Economic Reforms, Growth, and Governance: The Political Economy Aspects of Bangladesh’s Development Surprises”, with Wahiduddin Mahmud and Sandeep Mahajan, Commission on Growth and Development, Working Paper No. 22, Washington DC , 2008
“Trade Liberalization, Growth and Poverty Reduction: The Case of Bangladesh ” with Zaidi Sattar, South Asia Discussion Paper No. IDP-190 , World Bank, August 2003.
“Budgetary Reforms for Growth and Poverty Reduction in Pakistan ”, The Pakistan Development Review , 2003, vol 42, Issue 4, pages 349-373
“The Politics of Reforms in South Asia: Bangladesh and Pakistan ”, South Asia Discussion Paper No. IDP-184 , World Bank, October 2002
“The Political Economy of Poverty Reduction in South Asia: The Role of Good Governance” South Asia Discussion Paper No. IDP-181 , World Bank, August 2002.
“ Bangladesh Since Independence : Development Performance, Constraints and Challenges”, the Bangladesh Journal of Political Economy , Vol. XV, No. 1, Dhaka
“Promoting Growth in Sri Lanka : Lessons from East Asia ” with Priya Ranjan, Policy Research Working Paper Series No. 1478 , World Bank, June 1995.
“Explaining Pakistan ‘s High Growth Performance Over the Past Two Decades: Can it be Sustained?” Policy Research Working Paper Series No. 1341 , World Bank, August 1994.
“Appropriate Macroeconomic Management in Indonesia ‘s Open Economy”, Discussion Paper No. 191 , World Bank, January 1993.
Fiscal Policy for Managing Indonesia’s Environment” Policy Research working Paper Series No. 786 , World Bank, 1991
“ Indonesia : Stabilization and Structural Change” in Restructuring Economies in Distress: Policy Reform and the World Bank, Vinod Thomas et. al. (eds), Oxford University Press.
“How Indonesia ‘s Monetary Policy Affects Key Variables” with Basant Kapur, Policy Research Working Paper Series No.349 , World Bank, June 1990
“How Can Indonesia Maintain Creditworthiness and Non-Inflationary Growth” with Ajay Chhibber, Policy Research Working Paper Series No. 291 , June 1989.
“Poverty and Income Distribution in Bangladesh” with Mohiuddin Alamgir, in Rural Poverty in South Asia, T.N. Srinivasan and Pranab Bardhan (eds), Columbia University Press, 1988
“Reforming Egypt ‘s Pricing System” with Wafik Grais, Monograph published by Safat , Kuwait , 1987.
“Public Finance in Egypt : Its Structutre and Trends” Staff Working Paper No. 639, World Bank , 1984
“Shadow Prices for Economic Appraisal of Projects: an Application to Thailand ”, Staff Working Paper No. 609 , World Bank, 1983
