Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Najy Benhassine has started his assignment as the new World Bank Division Director for Central Asia, based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

In this capacity, Mr. Benhassine will oversee the World Bank’s operations across Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Ms. Tatiana Proskuryakova, who served as the World Bank’s Regional Director for Central Asia from July 2021 to June 2025, has completed her tenure, with Mr. Benhassine officially taking over the position as of 1 July 2025.

The World Bank’s Central Asia program is comprising of 85 active projects with a total commitment of over US$11 billion. These projects support governments across the region in achieving a wide range of development goals and modernizing various social and economic sectors. The Central Asia program is the World Bank’s second-largest portfolio globally in terms of the number of projects and ranks 16th by its financial volume.

“I’m honored to be leading the World Bank’s dynamic and diverse operations in Central Asia — a region of over 80 million people undergoing rapid economic and demographic transformation,” said Najy Benhassine, the World Bank’s Division Director for Central Asia.

“I look forward to continuing the World Bank’s productive partnership with client governments across the region to help them build inclusive market economies, improve the well-being of their citizens, create better jobs, especially for women and youth, and address regional challenges, including expanding energy, transport, and trade connectivity, responding to water scarcity, cross-border environmental and health-related risks, and more,” added Mr. Benhassine.

Najy Benhassine, an Algerian national, joined the World Bank in 2001 and has since held a variety of managerial positions. Before moving to Central Asia, he served as the World Bank’s Country Director for Pakistan from July 2020 to June 2025.

Prior to that, Mr. Benhassine was the Regional Director for Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions (EFI) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Earlier in his career, he held the position of Director of Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation (FCI) Global Practice at the World Bank.

Mr. Benhassine holds degrees from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, the Paris Graduate School of Management, and the Paris School of Economics. He also earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He speaks fluently Arabic, French, and English.