The students visited the headquarters of the World Bank. Paatii Ofosu-Amaah (pictured at right), Vice President and Corporate Secretary of the Bank and a member of the Institute's Board of Directors, arranged a tour of the bank and a private meeting with Kevin Kellems, Director of External Affairs and Senior Advisor to President Paul Wolfowitz, and other World Bank experts.

The World Bank, first established in 1944, is a group of five international organizations that are a vital source of technical and financial assistance to developing countries around the world. Its mission is to eliminate poverty on a global scale and improve living standards in matters such as agriculture, health care, environmental protection, governance, infrastructure, and education. Many countries have borrowed money from the World Bank, including some of today’s leading industrial countries such as Japan following World War II for postwar reconstruction.

James Nortey asked about how the Bank deals with pressure from critics who say the Bank is merely benefiting “capitalistic companies”, to which Kellems responded that it requires a great deal of “listening and questioning your assumptions.” Kellems stated the Bank is “very well known, but not understood.” It is a “rich and diverse organization...the challenge is to channel that diversity to a concrete goal.” He said the Bank’s main purpose is to help developing countries “help themselves.”

Kellems advised the students to prepare themselves “broadly”, not “obsessing” over one goal. “Be willing to take risks accordingly…don’t narrow things down prematurely,” said Kellems. He also said, “It’s good to have goals, but retain some flexibility and creativity.”