Principal Portfolio Manager for Energy North Africa at KfW Development Bank’s
Karim is Principal Portfolio Manager for Energy North Africa at KfW Development Bank’s headquarter in Frankfurt. He joined KfW in 2002 and held positions with the bank working in the Sub-Saharan African region, Latin America and the Caribbean and since 2020 North Africa. Most of the time Frankfurt-based, but also from 2005 to 2008 in Maputo, Mozambique, where he was coordinating the activities of the German development cooperation in private sector development. Next to private sector development, Karim has mostly worked in renewable energy, but also biodiversity protection and organic agriculture. He held several positions as Board Member or Chair of Investment Committees in banks, microbanks and funds supported by KfW. His all-time favorite project is the “Solar World Cup 2014” in Brazil, where he financed the first PV plant on a World Cup soccer stadium in the Americas on behalf of BMZ. It turned out to be the stadium, where Germany played Brazil. Since 2020, Karim is getting involved with green hydrogen and the setting up of two global funds to support the ramp-up a green hydrogen economy. Before joining KfW, Karim studied International Economics in Maastricht, Politics in Paris and did a post-graduation in Development Politics in Bonn.