The World Bank on Tuesday said it would conduct interviews with the three candidates for the bank presidency this month as previously planned.

The Washing-based global financial organisation said in a statement that the Bank's Board of Executive Directors would conduct interviews with the three candidates in Washington, and the schedules of interviews have been agreed with the candidates based on their availability.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, currently the Nigerian Finance Minister who was endorsed by South Africa, Angola and Nigeria, will be interviewed on 9 April.

"She would be a candidate of choice not just on the African continent but well beyond as well," said South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan of her candidature.

Okonjo-Iweala is equally optimistic about her chances. "I consider the World Bank [as] a very important institution for the world, particularly developing countries deserving of the best leadership. I look forward to a contest of very strong candidates. Am I confident? Absolutely."

Jose Antonio Ocampo, a professor at Columbia University who was nominated by Brazil, will be interviewed on 10 April.

US-nominated Jim Yong Kim, a Korean-American global health expert and president of Dartmouth College, will be interviewed on 11 April.

The bank plans to pick a candidate at its annual meeting in late April to replace American Robert Zoellick, whose term finishes at the end of June.