OREANDA-NEWS. December 06, 2010. The World Bank Country Office in Tashkent announced that Takuya Kamata assumed the post of country manager to Uzbekistan. Kamata replaced Loup Brefort in this position.

In his new position, Kamata's priorities will be to partner with and support the country in moving toward a more diversified economy and to help enhance regional coordination on natural resource management.

The WB's current program in Uzbekistan focuses on helping the country to improve access to healthcare, to further develop basic education, to rehabilitate irrigation infrastructure and support private farmers, to bring safe potable water to rural and urban areas, to restore and develop municipal services, to and invest in public goods, energy and climate change issues.

Kamata joined the WB in 1990 as a young professional. He has held several positions since working for the WB in Africa, East Asia and the Pacific. An infrastructure expert, Kamata worked in the policy dialogue, country strategy formulation and coordination, quality assurance, peer review, water supply lending and economic activity, urban, and environment sectors.

Before joining the WB, he worked for McKinsey and Company and the Bank of Tokyo. Kamata is a graduate of the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business and Waseda University.

Uzbekistan joined the WB in 1992. So far, the bank has provided the country with credit and loans totaling about USD860 million.