The African Development Bank Group has appointed Mtchera Johannes Chirwa as director of water and sanitation. A Malawian citizen, Chilwa has built over 30 years of development experience in development finance, mainly in over 20 countries, helping to prepare policy reform, water and sanitation sector strategies and programs, and will also be useful in other infrastructure sectors.
Prior to his appointment, Chilwa served as acting director of banking group for water and sanitation since August 2024. In this role, he led the banks’ support for economic transformation in Africa to identify and promote sustainable integration solutions across the water chain and sanitation. He also coordinated water and sanitation-related activities that advanced five strategic priorities.
In addition to this role, Chilwa served as coordinator of water facilities in Africa. The African Water Facility was established in 2004 as the initiative of the Minister of Africa’s Water Initiative (AMCOW) and is hosted by the banking group’s Water and Sanitation department. He led facility work across Africa, mobilizing resources for African countries and regional institutions, working with international donors and partners to develop water and sanitation programs and projects.
Since joining the African Development Bank Group in 2008, Chirwa has held a variety of positions, including the leading public-private partnership (PPP) infrastructure specialist in the bank’s regional integration division, and the chief infrastructure and PPP specialist in the bank’s infrastructure and urban development division.
He successfully led the development of the bank’s first PPP strategic framework in 2022, coordinating the bank’s participation in the first and second phases of the Continental Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa’s Priority Action Plan.
Prior to joining the bank, Chilwa worked as an infrastructure specialist at the World Bank at the Malawi National Office, a portfolio manager for the Malawi Public Partnerships (PPP) Committee, and a water engineer for the Malawi government.
Chirwa is a registered civil engineer who received a Master’s degree in Construction Project Management from Wolverhampton University, UK and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Malawi University.
Commenting on his appointment, Chilwa said, “I am truly grateful and privileged to be appointed as a substantial director of the bank’s water and sanitation department. I am dependent on banks, because I am dependent on banks, for the cooperation of our banks, and for the nutritional subsidies of the banks, improving access to water supply and sanitation, and for the development of water resources sustainably for food and energy production, for regional member states and banks, for the cooperation of our banks. On our continents.”
Dr Akinoumi A. Adesina, president of the African Development Bank Group, said, “We are pleased to appoint Muchela Johannes Chilwa as Director of Water and Sanitation. Chilwa has extensive experience in waters. Managing high-level strategic partnerships and collaboration with key partners will be a key asset in advance of the bank’s development agenda.”
