INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has appointed Takafumi Kadono as the new Country Director for Sri Lanka, who has assumed office in Colombo
ADB was a trusted partner of the people of Sri Lanka during the pandemic and the economic crisis
I intend to further enhance our collaboration as Sri Lanka embarks on a journey to recover from the crisis and come out stronger and more
Kadono, a Japanese national, joined ADB in 2006 as a Young Professional in the East Asia Regional Department
He then held progressive positions in Central and West Asia Department and Southeast Asia Department as an Energy Specialist, including
being stationed in Viet Nam from 2012 to 2015 where he led projects in the power sector value chain from generation and transmission to
He also promoted the development of renewable energy in a fossil fuel dominated generation subsector.He then joined the World Bank in 2015
as a Senior Energy Specialist for East Asia and the Pacific region where, in Viet Nam, he was involved in supporting the divestment of the
state-owned power utility and the design of the wholesale electricity market and was also a member of the Climate Change and Green Growth
Development Policy Operation
responsible for the bulk of public debt, advised the government on regional power trade, and was a member of the Green Growth Development
He also led complex hydropower projects and dam safety initiatives in East Asia and the Pacific and provided cross-support to operations in
South Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa.Mr
Kadono returned to ADB in December 2020 as a Principal Planning and Policy Economist in the Strategy, Policy, and Partnerships Department
where he was responsible for the strategic planning and policy formulation for ADB and served as the lead author for the work program and
consultant for energy, urban, water, and reconstruction projects across developing Asia and Latin America.Mr
prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty
