WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) – The U.S. nominee to guide the World Bank, former Mastercard (MA.N) CEO Ajay Banga, returns to his native India on Thursday, capping a three-week world tour to drum up help and focus on growth and local weather wants with donor and borrowing international locations.

The Treasury mentioned Banga will go to New Delhi on March 23 and 24, the place his likeness has already been posted on billboards. He will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in addition to the minister of finance, Nirmala Sitharaman, and the minister of exterior affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

“These discussions will focus on India’s development priorities, the World Bank, and global economic development challenges,” the Treasury mentioned in a press release.

India’s authorities endorsed the candidacy of Banga, a longtime finance and growth government who’s now a U.S. citizen, quickly after his nomination was introduced in late February.

He has gained the help of sufficient different governments to nearly guarantee his affirmation as the following World Bank president, together with Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and South Korea.

The World Bank will settle for nominations from different international locations till March 29, however no rivals have been introduced. The World Bank has been led by an American since its founding on the finish of World War Two, whereas the International Monetary Fund has been led by a European.

U.S. President Joe Biden final month nominated Banga, 63, to interchange David Malpass, who introduced his resignation after months of controversy over his preliminary failure to say he backed the scientific consensus on local weather change.

In India, Banga may also go to a vocational abilities growth institute funded partly by the World Bank, the Treasury mentioned.

Over the previous month, Banga has met with authorities officers, civil society teams, enterprise leaders and different stakeholders on a “global listening tour” that began in Africa earlier than progressing to Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Leslie Adler

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