Cypriot economist Rasit Pertev has been awarded the National order of Chad, the central African nation’s highest honour, at the end of a five-year term as the World Bank’s country manager in Chad.

He was given the award by the country’s President Mahamat Deby, with Deby’s office writing that “under [Pertev’s] leadership, the relationship between Chad and the World Bank has taken on a new lease of life”.

“From health, to education, to energy, to agriculture, and to governance, no priority sector has escaped our shared commitment. Rasit Pertev did not just oversee projects, he shared and supported an ambitious presidential vision,” Deby’ s office wrote.

It added that the issuing of the award is “a gesture which transcends formalities to demonstrate the depth of the bond forged”.

“Rasit Pertev leaves behind a great legacy: that of a strengthened partnership between Chad and the World Bank, consolidated mutual trust, and a future open to more opportunities.”

Pertev thanked Deby for the award and described his time in Chad as a “human and professional experience of rare intensity”.

Pertev was born in Larnaca in 1958 and studied economics at the University of Cambridge, before going on to start working for the World Bank in 2000.

He returned to Cyprus in 2004 and was former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat’s chief negotiator for the Cyprus problem between 2005 and 2007, before returning to the World Bank to continue his career, moving to Chad in 2020.