Namibia | World Bank

Namibia - Coast Conservation and Management Project : resettlement process framework

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:00:00 GMT

The objective of the Coast Conservation and Management Project is to strengthen conservation, sustainable use and mainstreaming of biodiversity in coastal and marine ecosystems in Namibia. Negative measures include: prospecting and mining, tourism and concessions, industries, and plant and animal harvesting. Mitigation measures include: a) unless explicitly allowed by virtue of a valid permit, no-one may harvest any plant or animal for commercial purposes in the park; b) beach-combing is permitted, providing that the intention is to collect items for personal use only, and that items are only collected by hand only; c) salt pans, associated oyster farming, and rock salt mining operations need to be zoned for restricted access, to prevent interference by public and vehicles with the production and mining activities; and d) prospecting and mining for strategic minerals only, will be permitted in the park, and then only in areas where they will not unduly undermine conservation priorities.

Call for Action to Mitigate Effects of the Financial Crisis on Africa

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:38:43 GMT

Contacts:
In Addis Ababa: Gelila Woodeneh: 1 (251) 62 77 00
gwoodeneh@worldbank.org
In Washington, DC: Herbert Boh: (1) 202 473- 3548
hboh@worldbank.org

ADDIS ABABA, February 4, 2009 – African economies, which were on the verge of turning the corner following more than a decade of faster and steadier economic growth, now desperately need new funding to mitigate contagion from the global financial crisis, the World Bank said Tuesday.

“We call on rich countries to keep Africa in mind as they design programs to help their economies weather the financial crisis,” the World Bank’s Vice-President for the Africa Region, Obiageli Ezekwesili, said during a video press conference from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she was attending the African Union summit.

Connected via video to journalists in 21 other African capitals, Ezekwesili said it was crucial for wealthier nations not to focus on “insular” domestic responses to the crisis. She reiterated a call made earlier by World Bank President Robert Zoellick for donor countries to devote 0.7 percent of the amount of their stimulus packages to a Vulnerability Fund for Africa.

She explained that the Fund would direct spending to projects that are urgently needed to avert the growing unemployment, now building across Africa, as a result of the closure of mining operations, the suspension or cancellation of projects in sectors hardest-hit by a reversal of private capital flows, and tighter public budgets, the fall in commodity prices, and the shrinking of revenue from tourism and remittances.

The Fund would also finance safety net programs, attending to the basic needs of the poorest of the poor: health, education, school feeding projects, basic inputs for farmers, etc. It would help sustain the flow of credit to small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the engines of growth, job and wealth creation.

The Fund, which the World Bank is asking the G20 summit expected to hold in London next April 2 to help set up, would support investments in infrastructure projects that can build a foundation for future productivity and growth in Africa and other poor countries.

To sustain support for aid and the kind of fresh funding proposed under the Vulnerability Fund, Ezekwesili urged African governments to stay the course of public sector reforms; helping to build more capable states; train and retain competent civil servants who demonstrate integrity and tackle inefficiencies in state bureaucracies.

She called on African governments to improve the efficiency of public expenditures, pointing to the need to scrap subsidies that benefit those Africans who do not need them, for those that are better targeted in favor of the poor. A staggering one half of Africa’s US$40 billion annual financing gap for much-needed infrastructure could be closed by improving the efficiency in the way the public service functions.

She urged resource-rich countries, to improve adherence to transparency and accountability mechanisms; to ensure that revenue from natural resources are invested in sustainable poverty alleviation programs; to promote pro-poor growth and to diversify their economies beyond non-renewable sources of wealth.

“Countries like Zambia and other mineral-rich African nations must articulate a development strategy and make policy choices that would guarantee prosperity for ‘a Zambia without copper’,” the World Bank Vice President said, in reply to a question from a Lusaka-based journalist. She said citizens’ groups, the media and parliaments must all play more active roles in holding governments and donors accountable.

“The citizens of Africa are the continent’s most valuable asset,” Ezekwesili said, stressing the importance of tertiary education in building Africa’s skills to compete in a truly globalized economy. She said education, innovation and the technological leap-frogging offered by ICTs (information and communications technology) would help those African economies that invest in them to build the knowledge economy of the future.

“Those who can pay should pay but governments should provide scholarships and other forms of assistance to ensure that poor students who deserve to can attend university,” Ezekwesili said, in response to a question on tertiary education in Tanzania.

She acknowledged the need for governments to stick only to those things they do best – allowing space for the private sector to thrive in what businesses do.

“Governments cannot abandon their regulatory role, especially when it comes to ensuring that their financial sectors work efficiently,” Ezekwesili said.

Some analysts have blamed ineffective regulatory mechanisms for the current global financial crisis.

Initially underestimated, contagion from what started as a crisis in the US subprime mortgage sector, poses a real threat of rolling back gains in poverty alleviation in Africa that had been fuelled by healthy growth rates ranging from 5.9 percent to 8.1 percent for about 65 percent of Africa’s population during 1997-2007. Although still fragile, that growth had clearly broken with a past marked by the economic collapse of the decade 1975-1985 and the stagnation experienced in 1985-1995. Ensuring that Africa also benefits from initiatives to stimulate economies in the North would help restore that growth and return Africa and the world to a path of prosperity.

For more information about the work of the World Bank in Africa, visit:
www.worldbank.org/afr

Namibia - Namibian Coast Conservation and Management Project : procurement plan

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Consultations on the Bank Web Site

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:37:38 GMT

Dear reader,

A few years ago, the World Bank’s Web site was noted as a leader among development organizations’ websites. As technology has rapidly advanced and user expectations evolved, our Web site too needs to change and adapt.

You come to our Web site because you are looking for the latest information on development. Our project information, data and research assist you in tackling your challenges or keeping up on the Bank’s activities.

Now we’re catching up. We are revamping our Web site and expanding our online capabilities to better satisfy our business needs and meet audience demands.

We’re examining all aspects of the site—content, technology, business needs and audience demands—to figure out what needs to stay, be improved or be removed.

This is a complex undertaking. We are currently gathering information to determine requirements for our future site.

Through our open online consultation, we are looking for comments from anyone who wishes to discuss their information needs and any difficulties they encounter with the site. The online consultation period ends on December 31, 2008.

All feedback we receive will inform the future design and functionality of the Web site by informing Bank management on audience needs.

Our ultimate goal is to make the Web site better support the institution’s mission of fighting global poverty and helping countries develop.

Your feedback will bring us closer to this goal.

Thank you,

Angie Gentile
Managing Editor, www.worldbank.org

Namibia: Second Development Policy Loan – First Education and Training Sector Improvement Program

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:33:29 GMT

WASHINGTON, November 19, 2008- The following project was approved yesterday by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors:

IBRD Loan: US$7.5 Million Dollars

TERMS: Maturity = 1.5 years; Grace = N/A – Bullet Repayment, April 2010

Project Description: The Second Development Policy Loan (DPL2) in support of the Education and Training Sector Improvement Program for Namibia aims to reinforce and extend sector policy, legal, financial and institutional reforms initiated during DPL1. It supports the development of: (i) specific policies, legal and financing frameworks that underpin planned sector reforms; (ii) specific systems and tools required to give effect to policies, legal and funding frameworks intended to improve education access, equity, quality, relevance, and efficiency; and (iii) specific institutional capacities that are critical for effective implementation of planned sector reforms.

Media Contact

Rachel McColgan-Arnold

(202) 458-5299

rmccolgan@worldbank.org

For project documents, please visit: http://web.worldbank.org/external/projects/main?pagePK=64283627&piPK=73230&theSitePK=40941&menuPK=228424&Projectid=P109333

Global food and fuel crisis will increase malnourished by 44 million

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:30:00 GMT

Contacts:
In Washington :Carl Hanlon 202-473-8087; chanlon@worldbank.org;
Philip Hay 202-473-1796
phay@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, October 8, 2008 – High food and fuel prices will increase the number of malnourished people around the world in 2008 by 44 million to reach a total of 967 million, a report from the World Bank says.

While food and fuel price increases may have moderated in recent months, prices remain much higher than previous years and show few signs of declining significantly, according to the report entitled “Rising food and fuel prices: addressing the risks to future generations”. Poor families around the world are being pushed to the brink of survival, causing irreparable damage to the health of millions of children. As families cut back on spending, there are also grave risks for the educational performance of poor children.

“While people in the developed world are focused on the financial crisis, many forget that a human crisis is rapidly unfolding in developing countries. It is pushing poor people to the brink of survival,” said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. “The financial crisis will only make it more difficult for developing countries to protect their most vulnerable people from the impact of rising food and fuel costs.”

The report, due to be presented on Sunday to the Development Committee at the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and IMF, says the food and fuel crisis could have long term effects on poor people and countries. Malnourished children cannot develop into healthy adults and become productive members of society who can contribute to the growth needed to lift themselves and their country out of poverty.

The report says priority should be given to a series of targeted measures. These include:

Making existing targeted cash (or near cash) transfer programs more generous;
Getting nutrition to infants and pregnant women;
expanding so-called ”in-kind” food distribution programs including school feeding and the distribution of fortified calorically dense food;
using fee waivers, lifeline-pricing and other forms of targeted subsidies for poor users/consumers; and
introducing additional measures to prevent children from dropping out of school, such as fee waivers, subsidies for school inputs, or cash transfers.

The report also argues that allocating the necessary amount of budget to finance an expansion of safety net programs may require pruning less-priority spending in other areas. But it notes that well-designed safety net programs do not have to be prohibitively expensive to be effective. Some of the most successful programs in the world cost well under 1 percent of Gross Domestic Product. Moreover, investing in safety net programs now will give governments new tools to address not just the current crisis, but future ones as well.

In May, the World Bank launched a $1.2 billion rapid financing facility to help poor countries cope with the food crisis. Since then, around US$850 million has been committed to finance seeds, plantings, and feeding programs. In April, Zoellick called for a New Deal for Global Food Policy that included short, medium and long-term measures to provide immediate help to poor people and farmers while increasing food production.

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For more information on the Bank's work in nutrition, please visit: www.worldbank.org/nutrition

and for more on social safety nets, click here: www.worldbank.org/safetynets

Namibia: World Bank Lends in Local Currency for the First Time in Africa

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:41:09 GMT

Contacts

In Washington: Issam Abousleiman (202-458-0865)

Iabousleiman@worldbank.org

In Pretoria: Mmantsetsa Marope (+27-12-431-3113)

mmarope@worldbank.org

Mallory Saleson +27-12-431-3100

msaleson@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, July 18, 2008 – The World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IBRD) for the first time has disbursed a loan in one of Africa’s local currencies. The 58.2 million South African Rand (ZAR) loan is to support the Government of Namibia in its educational improvement program. The South African and Namibian currencies are equivalent.

The loan was possible thorough a conversion of the originally dollar denominated USD 7.5 million loan which took place on July 15, 2008 and is the first time the World Bank has provided a Rand-denominated financing to any country.

World Bank financing in local currencies is available to all IBRD-eligible African countries at variable or fixed rates, where there are swap markets or alternative funding instruments for IBRD to hedge itself. African countries benefit from the fact that IBRD accesses the market on behalf of its clients, leveraging its strong credit rating to obtain favorable pricing, and passes it on to the borrower countries.

The transaction is part of the World Bank’s ongoing efforts to respond to requests from its borrowing member countries to provide flexible financial products in support of their risk management objectives. “This is particularly the case in Middle Income Countries, like Namibia, which are looking for additional flexibility from the World Bank in terms of lending instruments. Borrowing in Rand represents a lower risk for the country,” according to Mmantsetsa Marope, World Bank Team Leader for the Namibia lending operation.

As borrowers have become more sophisticated and financial markets have evolved, IBRD's role has also broadened. “In addition to a full range of banking and risk management tools, IBRD now offers services such as liability management advisory, asset management and advisory, capital markets advisory and treasury management services to meet the changing needs of client countries,” said Gloria Grandolini, World Bank Director of Banking and Debt Management.

It is also the first IBRD lending operation for Namibia. The World Bank last May approved the IBRD loan to support the Government’s education and training sector improvement program. The World Bank program will contribute to Government efforts to equitably increase the immediate supply of middle to high level skills required to meet current labor market demands, to lay a foundation for a sustainable supply of skills required for future equitable growth and to facilitate Namibia’s transition to a knowledge-based economy.

The First Development Policy Loan specifically supports the first implementation phase of Namibia’s Education and Training Sector Improvement program (ETSIP1), a five-year sector program estimated to cost about US$357 million. The Development Policy Loan (DPL) is an instrument that provides direct budget support and disburses funds against policy and institutional reforms already achieved by the government. The loan constitutes about 14 percent of the funds required for the first year of ETSIP1. The rest will be financed by the Government of the Republic of Namibia, national development partners and international development partners.

This loan is the first of two single-tranche sector Development Policy Loans (DPLs) of US$ 7.5 million each. The DPL will support (i) the development of specific policies and policy instruments to guide and give effect to planned sector reforms; (ii) legal instruments to enforce policy implementation; and (iii) institutional capacities required for effective implementation of planned sector reforms.

This program is consistent with the Bank’s Africa Action Plan (AAP) flagship goal of building skills for competitiveness in a global economy that supports activities that accelerate the attainment of education MDGs, build skills to promote growth, strengthen partnerships, and strengthen partner countries’ capacity to design, implement and monitor their own sector development plans and programs. Program preparation benefited from inputs from a broad base of stakeholders from the public, private and parastatal sectors, academics, civil society, teachers’ unions and international development partners. A memorandum of understanding between the Government and international development partners designates the Bank as the lead technical agency during the implementation of ETSIP1 and the European Union as the lead coordinating agency.

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For more information, please visit

www.worldbank.org/namibia

Namibia: World Bank Lends in Local Currency for the First Time in Africa

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Contacts
In Washington: Issam Abousleiman (202-458-0865)

Iabousleiman@worldbank.org

In Pretoria: Mmantsetsa Marope (+27-12-431-3113)
mmarope@worldbank.org

Mallory Saleson +27-12-431-3100

msaleson@worldbank.org

As borrowers have become more sophisticated and financial markets have evolved, IBRD's role has also broadened. “In addition to a full range of banking and risk management tools, IBRD now offers services such as liability management advisory, asset management and advisory, capital markets advisory and treasury management services to meet the changing needs of client countries, said Gloria Grandolini, World Bank Director of Banking and Debt Management.

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For more information, please visit

www.worldbank.org/namibia

New report on economic growth offers lessons on achieving sustained, high economic growth

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:11:32 GMT

Contacts:

In Washington:

Maya Brahmam at +1-202-473-6231 or email at mbrahmam@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2008 – The World Bank Group welcomes a new report by the independent Commission on Growth and Development, a global panel of eminent experts, which reveals important lessons from countries that have achieved high, long-term economic growth. The experts say the lessons learned could help policy makers in developing countries as they seek to set their countries on a steady growth path.

The Growth Report: Strategies for Sustained Growth and Inclusive Development says integration into the world economy, maintaining high rates of savings and investment, and committed, capable governments are among the key features of countries that have sustained growth rates above 7 percent for 25 uninterrupted years since World War II.

"This report underscores to the development community that one size doesn’t fit all." said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. I am especially pleased that it draws on input from first class practitioners and leaders who have hands-on pragmatic and practical experience of making inclusive development a success. This will help enrich the thinking and practice of the World Bank Group as well as others in the development field.” “

High, long-lasting growth is not easily achieved, but the report by some of the world’s top policy-makers and thinkers, believes it can be reproduced in developing countries, giving them a chance to reduce poverty and improve opportunity and quality of life for their citizens.

“We are acutely aware that there are no silver bullets to create long-running, inclusive growth, and that no single paradigm exists,” says Commission Vice Chair Danny Leipziger, who is also Vice President for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management at the World Bank. “While seeking to identify those key elements that can lead to long running and inclusive growth, the report is clear that policy makers will need to customize and experiment with polices rather than follow any rigid set of guidelines.”

Commission Chairman Michael Spence said: " What makes the report so unique is that it was prepared by policymakers, many from developing countries, who have been in the trenches themselves and have learned what works and why. It is these commissioners who are now providing their insights to the next generation of policymakers on ways to improve growth prospects and the quality of life in the poor parts of the globe."

Spence is one of two Nobel Laureates on the 21-member commission comprising leaders from business, government and academia. The Commissioners come from 18 countries that include a broad mix of developing, emerging and developed economies, as well as small island states and populous, large countries.

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To download full report click here:

http://www.growthcommission.org/

World Bank Broadens Transport Agenda

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Contacts
In Washington:
Roger Morier (202) 473 5675, rmorier@worldbank.org
Anna Piasecka (202) 458 7027, apiasecka@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 21, 2008 – The World Bank Group today launched a new transport business strategy for 2008-2012 that will help partner countries establish the governance, strategies, policies and services to deliver transport for development in a way that is economically, financially, environmentally and socially sustainable.

Called Safe, Clean, and Affordable… Transport for Development, the business strategy strengthens the alignment of the transport sector approach with the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2000. At the same time, it widens the directions and deepens the routes that will be taken to meet the evolving development agenda. It gives more attention to emerging trends, such as trade globalization, urbanization of populations; rising concerns about climate change, the increase in traffic congestion; and the recognition of access as a key to both economic opportunity and good governance.

“In striving to achieve its development objectives—and foremost to eradicate poverty—the World Bank Group is mobilizing the transport sector to the fullest possible extent,” said Katherine Sierra, World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development. ”To that end, the transport business strategy aligns Bank Group instruments along a few key strategic directions that will pave the way to truly sustainable development, one where transport plays a crucial role.”

“In a world with rising levels of greenhouse gases, poor road safety, and the too-frequent spread of communicable diseases along international routes, transport must be looked at anew. A coherent way forward requires innovative thinking and cooperation among sectors to optimize the role of transport without jeopardizing personal and commercial mobility.”

The Bank Group consulted widely in preparing its new business strategy, seeking contributions from over 75 transport development partners, governments, professional institutions, civil society organizations, multilateral and bilateral donors, and putting an early draft on its external website for four months to elicit public comments.

Safe Transport
Acknowledging the importance of transport for achieving public health outcomes within the Millennium Development Goals, the strategy stresses the need to mitigate the spread of HIV/AIDS, and to address safety in all transport modes, especially road transport. It also addresses the safety issue in air transport which, although globally much safer, still shows a safety record significantly affecting growth and investment prospects in some regions, in particular Sub-Saharan Africa. Transport and supply-chain security has also become a major issue in ensuring fair access of developing country exports to developed markets, and needs to be addressed as a new global public good.

“Road crashes kill an estimated 1.2 million people a year and injure 50 million more, disproportionately affecting the poor,” said Anthony Bliss, Lead Road Safety Specialist, Program Coordinator for the World Bank’s Global Road Safety Facility. “We are placing special emphasis on road safety, extending our support to include not only road safety components embedded in road infrastructure projects, but also larger stand-alone projects to formulate national policies and strategies that would improve road safety across the board. We will also pursue cross-sectoral approaches, such as including pre-hospital components in road programs and road safety components in health programs.”

Clean Transport
Urban air pollution, 90 percent of it generated by motor vehicles, kills an estimated 800,000 people each year. Transport now produces approximately 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Reflecting the contribution of transport to the wider environmental aims of the Millennium Development Goals, the strategy encompasses the transport-energy-environment nexus, from the energy consumption to the emissions and climate change impact perspectives. Going forward, the World Bank Group will be working to help restrain transport energy consumption. It will be assessing and controlling transport projects emissions, favoring shifts to low carbon modes.

“We are setting guidelines for environmentally effective transport planning and decision making,” said Jamal Saghir, Director, Energy, Transport and Water Department and Chair of the Transport Sector Board. “We are seeking ways to mitigate the effects of transport on the climate—and the effects of climate change on transport asset. We intend to build climate change issues into transport project appraisals where appropriate.”

Affordable Transport
An estimated 1 billion people in low-income countries lack access to an all-weather road. Affordable transport can enhance mobility and inclusion. It can promote social, economic, and political integration, by keeping a country together despite geographic disparities, by overcoming potential disputes over access to resources, and by defusing the seeds of conflict that sometimes arise from feelings of isolation.

Marc Juhel, Sector Manager for Transport stressed the fact that affordability concerns not only the rural and urban poor, but also the whole freight economy, aiming at improving competitiveness to foster stronger economic growth:

“The strategy stresses the need for better knowledge and control of transport costs, for both passengers and freight, on domestic and regional, urban and rural settings. The implementation of an effective urban transport strategy, reaching out to the growing urban poor population, is a key element of this approach. On the freight side, the cooperative work on trade and transport facilitation—in particular on customs and transit issues—will be strengthened.”

World Bank contribution to transport over previous decade
Since the Bank’s 1996 transport strategy, Sustainable Transport, was endorsed by the World Bank’s Board of Directors, the Bank Group has committed around US$42 billion for more than 530 dedicated transport operations and transport components in over 500 non-transport specific projects in more than 100 client countries. Lending in fiscal year 2007 (July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2007) reached over US$5 billion, amounting to 20 percent of World Bank Group new annual commitments.

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View the transport business strategy—Safe, Clean, and Affordable… Transport for Development at: http://www.worldbank.org/transport

World Bank and IFC Reward 16 Companies for Innovative Lighting Projects for Africa

Fri, 09 May 2008 16:09:13 GMT

Contacts in Washington, DC
IFC - Lucie Giraud +1 202 458 4662
lgiraud@ifc.org
Cell phone Ghana: +233 27 385 2768 (May 2-9)
IFC - Katia Theriault +1 202 458 4662
ktheriault@ifc.org
Cell phone Ghana: +233 27 385 2769 (May 2-9)
Africa Energy Unit, The World Bank - Chris Walsh +1 202 473-4594
cwalsh@worldbank.org
Sustainable Development Vice Presidency, The World Bank - Roger Morier +1-202 473-5675
rmorier@worldbank.org

ACCRA, GHANA, May 9, 2008—The World Bank Group has selected 16 companies and organizations as winners of the Development Marketplace competition for their innovative products or services tailored to Sub-Saharan Africa’s off-grid lighting market. The winners will receive up to $200,000 to implement projects that offer affordable, clean, and safe off-grid lighting and that improve access to lighting for people living without electricity across the region.

The winners were selected from among 52 competitors, and their projects were judged using five criteria: innovation, measurability of outcomes, organizational and financial sustainability, growth potential, and realism. They will use the funds to implement their projects in several African countries, including Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Tanzania.

“The ideas and concepts presented during this competition were far beyond our expectations, and this level of innovation and creativity is exactly what Africa needs. We are looking forward to seeing the winners implement their projects,” said Anil Cabraal, World Bank Lead Energy Specialist.

One of the winning projects will use cassava waste to produce biogas for lighting about 2,250 rural homes. Another project introduced a revolutionary type of energy efficient solar cell product for light emitting diodes that can also be used as a mobile phone and energy charger and a source of energy for radio. The people’s choice award went to a project that aims to use the Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies, a network of solar technicians in Tanzania, and reasonably priced solar systems to reach remote areas.

“This has been one the most fruitful Development Marketplace competitions. All of the finalists were able to meet with businesses and NGOs that are relevant to their day-to-day activities. This will help broaden their reach and impact,” said Monika Weber-Fahr, IFC Manager for the Sustainable Business Innovator.

The competition took place during Lighting Africa 2008, the first global business conference for off-grid lighting in Africa, held in Accra, Ghana, from May 6 to 8, 2008. The conference is part of the World Bank Group’s Lighting Africa program, which aims to mobilize the private sector to provide modern off-grid lighting to more than 250 million people in sub-Saharan Africa by the year 2030.

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Broadcast Quality Video
A three-minute video illustrating the lighting challenge in Africa is available for download. Please contact Mehreen Arshad Sheikh at +1 (202) 458-7336 or msheikh1@worldbank.org.

Photos
Photos are available on the Lighting Africa Web site under “media kit” at:
http://lightingafrica.org/index.cfm?Page=LightingAfrica2008&ap=media.

Contact information for the winners is available upon request.

About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, fosters sustainable economic growth in developing countries by financing private sector investment, mobilizing private capital in local and international financial markets, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. IFC’s vision is that poor people have the opportunity to escape poverty and improve their lives. In FY07, IFC committed $8.2 billion and mobilized an additional $3.9 billion through syndications and structured finance for 299 investments in 69 developing countries. IFC also provided advisory services in 97 countries.

For more information, visit www.ifc.org, the World Bank at www.worldbank.org, or the Lighting Africa initiative at www.lightingafrica.org.

About the World Bank’s Development Marketplace
Development Marketplace is a competitive grant program that funds innovative, small-scale development projects. These projects not only deliver results, but also have the potential to be expanded or replicated elsewhere. Since its inception in 1998, the program has awarded over $50 million to roughly 1,000 projects through global, regional, and country-level marketplaces. For more information, visit www.developmentmarketplace.org.

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World Bank Group President Appoints Vice President of Institutional Integrity

Mon, 05 May 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Contacts:
In Washington: Carl Hanlon (202) 473 8087
chanlon@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. May 5, 2008 – World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick has named South African Leonard McCarthy to head the Bank’s Department of Institutional Integrity (INT). McCarthy has earned international recognition for investigations and prosecutions of individuals engaged in corruption as head of South Africa’s Directorate of Special Operations.

“Leonard McCarthy is recognized worldwide for his integrity, independence, and effectiveness in fighting corruption and strengthening good governance,” says Zoellick. “This is the first time that the Department of Institutional Integrity will be headed at the level of Vice President, and McCarthy brings to the post stature, skill, and tested experience. This post is critical for our work, reputation, and fiduciary duty. I am confident that he will bring effective leadership to our highest obligation to protect the Bank’s assets and hold people, businesses, and governments responsible if they steal from the poor.”

McCarthy’s work with South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority has included investigating and prosecuting high profile cases of financial crime, organized crime, and high-level corruption. He has worked closely with African governments and law enforcement officials across the globe to expose and prosecute transnational financial crime. McCarthy was formerly a Director of Public Prosecutions appointed by President Nelson Mandela.

An experienced trial lawyer, he has held numerous positions in government, including Investigating Director in the Office for Serious Economic Offenses, Deputy Attorney General in Cape Province and Senior Public Prosecutor. He holds a Bachelor of Laws Degree from the University of South Africa in Cape Town.

Following talks with the South African government, President Mbeki has agreed to release McCarthy from service, to take up the position at the World Bank on June 30, 2008.

“I am honored to receive this appointment and to be joining the World Bank, I believe strongly in its vision, said McCarthy. “President Zoellick has made clear to me the strong emphasis he places on INT’s role, its need for strong, highly skilled people who will both pursue investigations and integrate anti-corruption work into Bank projects across the world. I am committed to delivering results and building on INT’s work to strengthen financial due diligence and ensure that precious development resources benefit people who need them most.”

McCarthy was selected from a list of candidates assessed by an internal search committee with the addition of former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, who led a review of INT last year. In his report Volcker called for greater attention to protect against corruption in designing and implementing Bank programs.

Mr. Volcker has welcomed the fact that: “the Bank is now implementing the recommendations of the Panel he chaired, importantly including elevating the head of INT to the level of vice president.”

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World Bank Marks World Press Freedom Day with Study on Broadcasting and Development

Fri, 02 May 2008 12:30:00 GMT

Contact:

In Washington: Christopher Neal, (202) 473-2049

Cneal1@worldbank.org

MAPUTO, May 2, 2008—The World Bank marked World Press Freedom Day by launching a study outlining conditions under which radio, television and online broadcasting can fulfil a vital role in development by making governments accountable, and giving voice to the world’s poor.

“Huge numbers of people, including those who can’t read, have access to broadcast media,” said Kreszentia Duer, of the World Bank Institute (WBI), who presented the study, Broadcasting, Voice and Accountability, at a conference here on freedom of expression hosted by UNESCO. “In countries with strong oral traditions, community broadcasting can enable people to share information and raise issues with a large audience, and hold government officials to account. This makes broadcasting a powerful tool for enhancing governance and promoting development.”

The 400-page study, subtitled A Public Interest Approach to Policy, Law and Regulation, is the result of five years of research by six media experts, including Ms. Duer, Steve Buckley, president of the World Association of Community Broadcasters; Toby Mendel, ARTICLE 19, Global Campaign for Free Expression; Seán Ó Siochrú, founder of the Campaign for Communication Rights in the Information Society; Monroe E. Price, of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania; and Marc Raboy, of Canada’s McGill University.

The study reviews broadcasting practices and regulations around the world, and identifies those which produce an “enabling environment” for broadcasting that is free, independent and pluralistic. These characteristics are essential, the report says, for broadcasting to perform an effective role in giving people voice, and ensuring government accountability.

Drawing from their research, the authors propose standards on freedom of expression, access to information, use and misuses of defamation law, content rules and limits to free speech, and the regulation of journalists. The study also offers guidelines on best practice for broadcast regulators, as well as the respective roles of public service, community non-profit, and commercial private sector broadcasters, all of which, it argues, should be present in a healthy media environment.

Co-author Steve Buckley notes that increased movement towards democracy in developing countries opens the way to build broadcasting that serves the public interest.

“Countries that are opening their economies, democratizing, and decentralizing public service delivery are looking for guidance on how to involve citizens in decisions that affect them,” he said. “Broadcasting, enabled by the right regulation and conditions, can empower groups through bottom-up participation.”

The book cites countries that have developed systems to enhance the quality and diversity of media content, while fully respecting freedom of expression, and identifies ways in which government regulation can expand access to broadcast media. Community broadcasting, for example, can be encouraged through special licensing arrangements that guarantee fair and equitable access to radio frequencies and financial support.

“This book focuses on useful proactive approaches to setting up, sustaining, and governing broadcasting systems across the world,” said Ruth Teer-Tomaselli, UNESCO Chair in Communication for Southern Africa at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. “It’s based on sound scholarship and provides practical advice for policymakers, media scholars and broadcasters alike.”

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For more information, please visit:

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/WBI/0,,contentMDK:21747844~pagePK:209023~piPK:207535~theSitePK:213799,00.html

To order: http://publications.worldbank.org/ecommerce/catalog/product?item_id=8100893

Youssou N’Dour Joins Top World Bank Officials in Calling for Immediate Action to Conquer Malaria

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:41:29 GMT

Contact:

Carol Hooks: +1 202 458 9346

chooks@worldbank.org

Beldina Auma: +1 202 458 7307

baumaowuor@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, April 24, 2008 – The World Bank and partners in the global war against malaria are calling for an intense push to eliminate malaria as a major public health problem and end deaths from this ancient disease. This week, the Bank invited world music superstar Youssou N’Dour to perform before African ambassadors, Roll Back Malaria partners, Bank staff, and other distinguished guests. The occasion? World Malaria Day—an opportunity to focus attention on the challenge and opportunity malaria presents for those most directly affected and those able to help do something about it.

From his place at the top of the music charts, Youssou is doing his share, by reaching out to everyone from African youth who enjoy his music and have young siblings at risk, to world leaders who can apply vast resources to the problem. “The world has started a war against malaria, a war we can all win. We have a grand alliance, called Roll Back Malaria. Allies like the World Bank, the Global Fund, the U.S. and the U.N. are doing more. And on the first World Malaria Day, we have presidents and even basketball players involved. The high-level attention to malaria is just what we wanted when we started the Africa Live malaria concert in 2005, but it's still not enough. Mosquitoes don't care about visas—we need cross-border efforts like the Zambezi region proposes. With efforts like that, we can eliminate malaria," Youssou said.

Commitment from Africa and current partners is at an all-time high. Youssou, the World Bank, and partners across the globe are calling on others to join this winnable fight.

Malaria is preventable and treatable, but a million or more people – mostly African children – still die from it every year.

“The good news however, is that more African countries are showing that it is in fact possible to control malaria,” notes World Bank Vice President for Africa, Obiageli Ezekwesili. “Despite difficult conditions and initial pessimism, countries such as Benin, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Zambia are successfully scaling up malaria control efforts through provision of bed nets and effective drugs. Certainly more countries can follow a similar path with enough resources and technical support.”

Critical to the success of these countries is the ability to ramp up malaria control efforts quickly and sustain the level of effort long enough to drastically reduce the number of people and mosquitoes harboring the parasite that causes malaria. Given the current immense global interest in malaria, now is the time to do it, and effective partnership is crucial to the equation.

"The malaria community is in a better place than ever before. The Roll Back Malaria Partnership is working to produce unprecedented collaboration. People on the ground and at the global level are excited about the prospect of ending deaths from malaria," said Ray Chambers, United Nations Special Envoy for Malaria. "We know what to do; now we just need to get it done." Additional financing is essential.

Since the 2005 launch of its Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa, the World Bank has committed US $467 million to malaria prevention and treatment in Africa, making it one of the top three funders of malaria control. This funding has been requested by African countries to buy long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), effective drugs, and supplies for spraying the walls of homes with insecticide. It includes money to strengthen health care systems so that they can better manage the life-threatening malaria cases that can consume up to 40 percent of public health resources in heavily-affected countries.

This funding comes from the World Bank’s International Development Association, better known as IDA. IDA is a mechanism by which the poorest countries receive no-interest loans or grants from the world’s richer countries. Every three years, donor countries meet to decide what each of them will contribute. Pledges made by donor countries in December 2007 mean that IDA 15 (the 15^th time the fund has been replenished) will contain a record US $41 billion.

While that sounds like it would buy more than enough bed nets, drugs, and insecticides to stop malaria, IDA resources are used to support an entire spectrum of development issues – roads, education, agriculture, health, and many others. Even under the “simple” rubric of health, any number of diseases and issues come into play. And it is the countries borrowing the money who decide how to spend it. The Bank has been able to commit $467 million for malaria control only because 18 African countries decided malaria was important enough to allocate a significant portion of their IDA funds to it.

From this next round of funding, the Bank anticipates that countries will spend significantly more of their IDA funds on malaria to take advantage of the current momentum around eliminating malaria as a public health threat. This would go a long way toward removing malaria as a major barrier to Africa’s economic growth.

"Defeating malaria is essential to Africa's development," emphasized Professor Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Executive Director of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership. "In addition to making people physically miserable, malaria reduces productivity. When adults--or their children--are sick with malaria, they lose
time from their work, which means they cannot produce the food, money, or other things they and their countries need." She added, "Unless malaria is tackled in Africa, few countries there will meet FIVE key Millennium Development Goals on child health, maternal health, infectious disease, universal primary education, and the eradication of poverty. Malaria must be stopped, and the world is now poised to achieve this goal."

* * * * *

The World Bank Group is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. We use our financial resources, staff, and extensive experience to aid countries in reducing poverty, increasing economic growth, and improving the quality of life. The impact of malaria extends far beyond the realm of public health and exacts a heavy toll on development. This makes the disease central to the Bank’s development agenda. In 2005, the World Bank launched the Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa. Booster is a ten-year program designed to help African nations meet critical targets for malaria control and reducing child and maternal mortality.

For more information on the World Bank’s Booster Program for Malaria Control in Africa, visit www.worldbank.org/afr/malaria.

For more information on the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, visit www.rbm.who.int

World Bank Commits to Deepen Reforms to Better Serve Middle-Income Countries in Africa

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:39:35 GMT

Contacts

In Washington: Herbert Boh (202) 473 3548

hboh@worldbank.org;

Dina ElNaggar (202) 473 3245

delnaggar@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2008 – The World Bank Group reiterated its commitment to reduce the non-financial costs of doing business with it and to expand the menu of products and services to better serve middle-income countries (MICs) in Africa.

“We have taken your feedback and tasked an institutional Working Group to come up with new innovative ways of serving MICs and are finalizing an Action Plan to guide our engagement with MICs in Africa,” said World Bank Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at a recent meeting.

The high-level consultation was held in Washington, DC, on the sidelines of the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank. It was as a follow-up to two earlier consultations, held in Tunis (Tunisia) in March 2006 and in Cairo (Egypt) in March 2008.

“The key objective of the Africa MIC Action Plan stresses the need for the Bank to provide services better, faster and cheaper; moving rapidly from development lending to a development partnership in MICs,” said Obiageli Ezekwesili, the World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region. The Africa MIC Action Plan proposes a three-year pilot of a different way of doing business in MICs - anchored in part on two pilot projects to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Botswana and Swaziland.

Recognizing that MICs value the Bank as a provider of cutting-edge knowledge services as well as financing, efforts within the Bank to better serve MICs focus on four key areas: (i) improving client responsiveness; (ii) expanding the range and utilization of financial products; (iii) enhancing the Bank’s knowledge services; and (iv) strengthening synergies between different parts of the Bank Group.

“Important progress has been made on this agenda. As a result of recent reforms, the World Bank Group has drastically cut back on the costs and time needed to prepare projects; extended lending to MICs in local currency; and provided lending to sub-sovereign entities,” explained Juan Jose Daboub, World Bank Managing Director.

“We are seeking innovation in the way we traditionally do business,” said Daniela Gressani, the World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa Region, pointing to ongoing pilots for the use of country systems in procurement in Morocco and in environmental safeguards in Egypt and Tunisia.

Finance ministers lauded the Bank Group for the successful implementation of reforms since the Tunis consultation, notably the reduction in loan pricing; improvements in the response time and the speed of loan processing; and efforts to increase the use of country systems and to delegate more authority to field-based staff.

Going forward, the World Bank Group together with its partners in MICs and regional development institutions will continue to foster cooperation on agreed priorities and work on initiatives to advance the dialogue, including through consultations.

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For more information on the World Bank in sub-Saharan Africa visit: www.worldbank.org/afr

For more information on the World Bank in the Middle East and North Africa visit: www.worldbank.org/mna

World Bank President Calls for Plan to Fight Hunger in Pre-Spring Meetings Address

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:53:10 GMT

April 2, 2008—In a speech today, World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick called for a "new deal" to combat world hunger and malnutrition through a combination of emergency aid and long-term efforts to boost agricultural productivity in developing countries.

The "New Deal for a Global Food Policy" is part of a suite of initiatives Zoellick outlined to advance development in the face of skyrocketing food and oil prices. He also called for a global trade deal to be agreed as soon as possible, detailed an initiative to help countries manage their wealth earned from high energy and mineral prices in a more inclusive way, and encouraged sovereign wealth funds to create a "One Percent Solution" for equity investment in Africa.

Agricultural Assistance

The World Bank will nearly double agricultural assistance to US$800 million in Africa. Zoellick also urged wealthy nations to help the UN’s World Food Program meet some $500 million in emergency food needs.

"The United States, the European Union, Japan and other OECD countries must act now to fill this gap – or many more people will suffer and starve," Zoellick said in an address sponsored by the Center for Global Development in Washington.

Zoellick said the "New Deal for a Global Food Policy" is needed to combat the "forgotten" Millennium Development Goal of overcoming malnutrition. Only about a tenth of the resources directed at HIV/AIDS goes to fight malnutrition, which causes 3.5 million deaths a year in children under 5 and has long-lasting impacts on health and achievement.

"Hunger and malnutrition are a cause, not just a result, of poverty," said Zoellick.

The World Bank estimates 33 countries face social unrest because of soaring food and energy prices.

The New Deal requires a shift from traditional food aid to a broader concept of food and nutrition assistance, such as cash or vouchers that can help build local food markets and farm production,.and create a "Green Revolution" for Sub-Saharan Africa, said Zoellick.

"This New Deal should focus not only on hunger and nutrition, access to food and its supply, but also the interconnections with energy, yields, climate change, investment, the marginalization of women and others, and economic resiliency and growth," said Zoellick.

"Food policy needs to gain the attention of the highest political levels, because no one country or group can meet these interconnected challenges."

Zoellick said the World Bank Group can help by:

Backing emergency measures that support the poor while encouraging incentives to produce and harvest food
Offering access to technology and science to boost yields
Helping countries counter weather-related risks, such as drought
Facilitating land-titling, local currency financing, working capital, distribution and logistics, and support for services on which farmers rely

"Income gains in agriculture have three times the power in overcoming poverty than increases in other sectors, and 75 percent of the world’s poor are rural, with most involved in farming," said Zoellick.

Trade Also Key to Lower Food Prices

Zoellick said the time was "now or never" to break the impasse in global trade talks. A "fairer and more open trading system" would encourage developing country farmers to expand production, he said.

"The poor need lower food prices now. But the world’s agricultural trading system is stuck in the past. If ever there was a time to cut distorting agricultural subsidies and open markets for food imports, it must be now."

An accord would give developing countries, big and small, more opportunities to become more productive and lower prices through trade. It would also infuse confidence in an economic system stressed by financial anxiety, he said.

However, "powerful voices across the political spectrum, including in my own country, are calling for, rationalizing, protectionism," Zoellick said. "This economic isolationism signals a defeatism that will reap the losses, not the gains, of globalization."

The trade talks are also a "critical test" for striking a global deal on climate change. "If negotiators of 150 economies cannot manage the political tradeoffs of the Doha Round to reap the clear benefits, it does not auger well for bringing developed and developing countries together on a new accord for climate change."

Sovereign Wealth Funds

Zoellick also outlined a plan to encourage emerging economies such as China, India and Brazil to invest about US$30 billion in African nations through government-sponsored wealth funds.

Such sovereign wealth funds currently hold about US$3 trillion in assets. They have come under scrutiny recently because of investments outside their own countries. Zoellick noted they need transparency and should be guided by best practices to avoid politicization, but "where some see sovereign funds as a source of concern, we see opportunity," said Zoellick.

The World Bank’s "One Percent Solution" involves creating the equity investment platforms and benchmarks to attract these investors, and allocating 1 percent of the assets to African growth, development and opportunity.

"This one percent could be the start of something much bigger, across more types of funds and countries, because the investment of wealth into equity for development offers opportunity, not something to fear."

Extractive Industries Initiative

Zoellick announced a new approach to help ensure that high energy and commodity prices translate into improvements in the lives of the poor.

The EITI++ builds on the transparency and good governance concepts of the existing multi-stakeholder Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). EITI publicizes and verifies company payments and government revenues from oil, gas and mining. But many governments are emphasizing that transparent revenue reporting, while important, is not enough. The World Bank is therefore working with developing countries and other partners to frame a "comprehensive approach to supplement the original project."

EITI++ will include providing technical assistance to countries on the awarding of contracts, monitoring operations, collecting taxes, improving resource extraction and economic decisions, better managing price volatility, and investing revenues effectively in sustainable development.

An EITI++ approach will be launched in Guinea. "The successful development of Guinea’s rich resources can strengthen sustainable development for the entire region," Zoellick said.

"The EITI++ can advance inclusive and sustainable globalization by broadening the beneficiaries of resource development."

World Bank & African Development Bank join efforts to reaffirm Regional Partnerships as an

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:15:00 GMT

Contacts
World Bank
Lilia Burunciuc +1 202 473 8865
lburunciuc@worldbank.org
Eric Chinje+1 202 458 8418
echinje@worldbank.org
African Development Bank
Kazumi Larhed +216 7110 2134
k.ikeda-larhed@afdb.org
Onike Nicol-Houra +216 7110 3227
o.nicol@afdb.org

March 11, 2008 -- Increasing competitiveness of Middle Income Countries (MICs) will be the focus of a 2-day conference co-organized by the World Bank and African Development Bank on 11 – 12 March, 2008. The conference brings together delegates from 11 African countries to Egypt where the event is being held.

The objective of the conference is to promote a better alignment of the services provided by the World Bank and the African Development Bank and the needs of the Middle Income Countries in Africa, and explore how development partners might contribute to addressing the development challenges of the MICs, with a special focus on competitiveness including the investment climate, science and technology and infrastructure.

Participants include senior governmental officials from Algeria, Botswana, Gabon, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tunisia, and Egypt in addition to private sector and representatives of other multilateral development institutions such as the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa and Asian Development Bank.

“This conference is a great opportunity to energize both traditional and new development partners and also the private sector to collaborate in meeting the development needs of the MICs,” said Hartwig Schafer, Director of Operations & Strategy, Africa Region, World Bank. “Overcoming these challenges will be key to enhancing competitiveness of MICs on an inclusive and sustainable basis that benefits all segments of society,” he emphasized.

“The African Development Bank recognizes the many diverse and dynamic development challenges that MICs face, and is in a strong position to adapt to assist MICs in addressing these challenges,” said Philbert Afrika, Director, Operations Policies and Compliance of the African Development Bank.

Emmanuel Mbi, World Bank Country Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti, highlighted the importance of the conference by saying: “We are pleased to host the conference in Egypt and engage in this dialogue with our partners across Africa while exploring opportunities to coordinate our efforts with regional development organizations such as the African Development Bank.”

At the end of the conference, it is expected that the meeting will (i) produce new ideas on how MDBs and other partners can provide more useful services to MICs, and (ii) generate practical follow-up steps for new initiatives.

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For more information on the World Bank's activities in sub-Saharan Africa, please visit www.worldbank.org

For more information on the African Development Bank, please visit www.afdb.org

World Bank Calls for Agricultural Renewal to Reduce Rural Poverty in Transforming Economies

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 16:00:00 GMT

Contacts:
In Washington: Merrell Tuck (202)473-9516
Mobile: (202) 415-1775
mtuckprimdahl@worldbank.org
Radio/TV: Nazanine AtabakI (202) 458-1450
Natabaki@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, DC, October 19, 2007 – The latest World Development Report says greater investment in agriculture in transforming economies, most of which are in Asia, is vital to the welfare of 600 million rural poor people living in those countries.

Titled ‘Agriculture for Development’, the report warns that the international goal of halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015 will not be reached unless neglect and underinvestment in the agricultural and rural sectors over the past 20 years is reversed.

“Rural poverty accounts for an extraordinary 82 percent of total poverty in transforming countries,” said Robert B. Zoellick, World Bank Group President. “A greater focus on agriculture is essential when considering population pressures, declining farm sizes, water scarcity and environmental contamination, and the need to develop lagging high poverty areas.”

In transforming economies such as China, India and Morocco, agriculture contributed an average 7 percent to growth in GDP between 1995 and 2003, though the sector accounts for about 13 percent of the economy and employs just over half the labor force. The report recommends that in these countries, where 2.2 billion people live in the countryside, the agricultural agenda should focus on reducing the disparity between rural and urban incomes and raising the incomes of the rural poor.

According to the WDR, for the poorest people, GDP growth originating in agriculture is about four times as effective in reducing poverty as GDP growth originating outside the sector.

“Agricultural growth has been highly successful in reducing rural poverty in East Asia over the past 15 years,” said Francois Bourguignon, World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, Development Economics. “The challenge is to sustain and expand agriculture’s unique poverty-reducing power, especially in South Asia where the number of rural poor people is still rising and will likely exceed the number of urban poor for at least another 30 years.”

The report says agriculture can provide pathways out of poverty for millions of rural poor who would otherwise be left behind in transforming economies. It says one way out is through a high-value agricultural revolution. Incentives to diversify into high-value horticulture, poultry, fish and dairy products could be provided via pricing reforms and an overhaul of subsidy supports for cereals.

For its part, the World Bank is committed to increasing its support for agriculture and rural development, following a decline in lending in the 1980s and 1990s. In FY07 commitments reached $3.1 billion, marking an increase for the fourth straight year.

Detailed Findings:

According to the report, the livelihoods of subsistence farmers can be improved by increasing the productivity of staple crops in lagging regions, a move that would require major investments in soil and water management and in agricultural research. It also calls for an improved investment climate for agribusiness.

“Rapidly transforming economies must move from the green revolution to focus on new high-value agriculture—with fast-growing urban incomes and demand for high-value products in cities becoming the drivers of agricultural growth and poverty reduction,” said Alain de Janvry, Co-Team Leader on the report. “Globally, countries must deliver a level playing field for trade, while farmer organizations and other local groups need more say in setting policies.”

The report also says that a major priority for transforming economies should be to reduce the environmental footprint of intensive agriculture, especially in agrochemical and animal waste production. Given concerns over water scarcity in transforming economies, the report calls for reform of institutions dealing with irrigation and the removal of water and electricity subsidies.

For the poorest of the poor in rural areas, the report advocates improving the investment climate for rural nonfarm business and job schemes in rural areas. Job programs could entail building rural roads, planting trees in denuded areas, and working to de-silt canals and ponds.

The 2008 WDR uses a typology of countries based on the contribution of agriculture to overall growth, 1990-2005 and the share of rural poor in the total number of poor (2002 US$2-a-day level). In agriculture-based countries (mostly Africa), agriculture contributes asignificant(>20%) share of overall growth. In transforming countries (mostly in Asia), nonagricultural sectors dominate growth but a great majority of the poor are in rural areas. In urbanized countries (mostly in Latin America and Europe and Central Asia), the largest number of poor people are in urban areas, although poverty rates are often highest in rural areas.

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Access the report and related materials at: http://www.worldbank.org/wdr2008

World Bank Calls For Agricultural Renewal, Focus On Productivity Growth In Sub-Saharan Africa

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 15:15:00 GMT

Contacts:

In Washington : Merrell Tuck, (202)473-9516

Mobile: (202) 415-1775

mtuckprimdahl@worldbank.org

Radio/TV: Nazanine AtabakI, (202) 458-1450

Natabaki@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON, DC, October 19, 2007 – The latest World Development Report calls for greater investment in agriculture in Africa and warns that the sector must be placed at the center of the Region’s development agenda if the goals of halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015 are to be realized.

Titled ‘Agriculture for Development,’ the report says the need for action is especially urgent in Sub- Saharan Africa, where agricultural productivity growth has lagged behind other regions. Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa employs 65 percent of the labor force and generates 32 percent of GDP growth.

“In Sub-Saharan Africa, home to 229 million extremely poor rural people, agriculture is about much more than simple food security,” said Robert B. Zoellick, World Bank Group President. “A greater focus on agriculture will help boost overall economic growth and can offer multiple pathways out of poverty.”

According to the report, the share of official development assistance going to agriculture in developing countries is a mere 4 percent. This is also the same insufficient share that governments in Sub-Saharan Africa spend from their budgets on agriculture—far short of the 11-14 percent share of national budgets invested in agriculture that fueled the Asian green revolutions.

The report calls for an ‘agriculture for development’ agenda for Africa that will improve the investment climate as well as make optimal use of markets, technology, sustainable water and soil management, and institutional services. In addition, countries must deliver on issues such as a level playing field for trade, while farmer organizations and other local groups need more say in setting policies.

According to the WDR, for the poorest people, GDP growth originating in agriculture is about four times more effective in reducing poverty than GDP growth originating outside the sector .

It cites the example of smallholders successfully producing crops for export markets, such as coffee, cotton and green beans. With rapid population growth and urbanization, it says demand for local food staples and livestock products is growing fast, offering expanding market opportunities.

"African agricultural growth increased from 2.3 percent in the 1980s, to 3.3 percent on average in the 1990s, to 3.8 percent annually from 2000 to 2005. Rural poverty rates have started to decline in 10 of the 13 countries for which data were analyzed,” said Francois Bourguignon, World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, Development Economics. “Further accelerating and sustaining this growth is needed if key development goals are to be met.”

The report says demand for food in Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to double by 2015 from its level in 2000. But food markets in the region already do not serve millions of people adequately, especially those in remote areas with poor infrastructure: More needs to be done.

For its part, the World Bank is committed to increasing its support for agriculture and rural development, following a decline in lending in the 1980s and 1990s. Commitments averaged $2.9 billion per annum during FY05-07, equivalent to 12 percent of overall Bank commitments during that period. In FY07 total commitments reached $3.1 billion, of which $580.5 million were directed to Sub-Saharan Africa.

DETAILED FINDINGS

While agriculture in Africa holds promise, the report says current challenges are daunting and require new roles for the state, the private sector, and civil society; a new mix of centralized and decentralized services to serve rural people; and improved coordination among such entities as the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Bank, a wide range of development partners and non-governmental organizations, regional organizations and national governments.

The agriculture for development agenda also requires rich countries to amend policies that harm the poor. For example, it is vital that the rich countries reduce subsidies that hinder African cotton exports. And the report says rich countries that have been the major contributors to global warming urgently need to do more to help poor farmers to adapt to climate change.

“Africa’s own agricultural revolution must cater to very diverse rainfed farming systems and simultaneously improve technologies, institutions, and markets,” said Alain de Janvry, Co-Team leader of the report and professor of agricultural economics at UC Berkeley. He cited irrigation in Nigeria (small scale) and Mali (large scale), multiple uses for cassava in West Africa, cotton in Zambia, and horticulture and dairy in Kenya as good examples of local successes which can be scaled up.

“Today, environmentally friendly technologies like conservation tillage, integrated pest management, and new varieties such as ‘Nerica’ rice (known as New Rice for Africa) hold promise. Science and technology are a lynchpin to Africa’s future productivity growth” said Derek Byerlee, Co-Team leader of the report.

According to the authors, beyond agriculture, greater geographic mobility and improved skills are central to reducing rural poverty in Africa. Because of HIV/AIDS and malaria, better health care and education must be an integral part of a broader set of safety nets that protect the assets of poor people.

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Access the report and related materials at: http://www.worldbank.org/wdr2008

World Bank Calls for Renewed Emphasis on Agriculture for Development

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 11:15:00 GMT

	Multimedia

Contacts:
In Washington: Merrell Tuck (202) 473-9516
Mobile: (202) 415-1775
mtuckprimdahl@worldbank.org
Radio/TV: Nazanine AtabakI (202) 458-1450
Natabaki@worldbank.org

WASHINGTON , DC , October 19, 2007 – The latest World Development Report calls for greater investment in agriculture in developing countries and warns that the sector must be placed at the center of the development agenda if the goals of halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015 are to be realized.

Titled 'Agriculture for Development', the reportsays the agricultural and rural sectors have suffered from neglect and underinvestment over the past 20 years. While 75 percent of the world’s poor live in rural areas, a mere 4 percent of official development assistance goes to agriculture in developing countries. In Sub-Saharan Africa, a region heavily reliant on agriculture for overall growth, public spending for farming is also only 4 percent of total government spending and the sector is still taxed at relatively high levels.

The World Bank Group is advocating a new ‘agriculture for development’ agenda. According to the WDR, for the poorest people, GDP growth originating in agriculture is about four times more effective in reducing poverty than GDP growth originating outside the sector.

“A dynamic ‘agriculture for development’ agenda can benefit the estimated 900 million rural people in the developing world who live on less than $1 a day, most of whom are engaged in agriculture,” said Robert B. Zoellick, World Bank Group President. “We need to give agriculture more prominence across the board. At the global level, countries must deliver on vital reforms such as cutting distorting subsidies and opening markets, while civil society groups, especially farmer organizations, need more say in setting the agricultural agenda.”

According to the report, agriculture can offer pathways out of poverty if efforts are made to increase productivity in the staple foods sector; connect smallholders to rapidly expanding high-value horticulture, poultry, aquaculture, as well as dairy markets; and generate jobs in the rural nonfarm economy.

“Agricultural growth has been highly successful in reducing rural poverty in East Asia over the past 15 years,” said Francois Bourguignon, World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, Development Economics. “The challenge is to sustain and expand agriculture’s unique poverty-reducing power, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia where the number of rural poor people is still rising and will continue to exceed the number of urban poor for at least another 30 years.”

For its part, the Bank intends to continue increasing its support for agriculture and rural development, following a decline in lending in the 1980s and 1990s. Commitments in FY07 reached $3.1 billion, marking an increase for the fourth straight year.

DETAILED FINDINGS

The report also warns global food supplies are under pressure from expanding demand for food, feed, and biofuels; the rising price of energy; and increasing land and water scarcity; as well as the effects of climate change. This in turn is contributing to uncertainty about future food prices.

Agriculture consumes 85 percent of the world’s utilized water and the sector contributes to deforestation, land degradation, and pollution. The report recommends measures to achieve more sustainable production systems and outlines incentives to protect the environment.

The report says in agriculture-based countries—home to 417 million rural people, 170 million of whom live on less than $1 a day—the agricultural sector is essential to overall growth, poverty reduction, and food security. Most of these countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the sector employs 65 percent of the labor force and generates 32 percent of GDP growth.

For Sub-Saharan Africa’s development, the report highlights issues to be urgently confronted: too little public spending on agriculture; donor support for emergency food aid with insufficient attention to income-raising investments; rich-country trade barriers and subsidies for key commodities such as cotton and oilseeds; and the under-recognized potential of millions of women who play a dominant role in farming.

In transforming countries such as China, India, and Morocco, agriculture contributes on average only 7 percent to GDP growth, but lagging rural incomes are a major source of political tensions. Dynamism in the rural and agricultural sectors is needed to narrow the rural-urban income gap and reduce rural poverty for 600 million poor while avoiding falling into subsidy and protection traps that will stymie growth and tax poor consumers.

In urbanized countries, mainly in Latin America and the Caribbean and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, agriculture contributes just 5 percent of GDP growth on average. However, rural areas are still home to 45 percent of the poor, and agribusiness and food services account for as much as one third of GDP. The broad goal is to link smallholders to modern food markets and provide remunerative jobs in rural areas.

The report says rich countries need to reform policies which harm the poor. For example, it is vital that the United States reduces cotton subsidies which depress prices for African smallholders. In the emerging area of biofuels, the problem is both restrictive tariffs and heavy subsidies in rich countries, which drive up food prices and limit export opportunities for efficient developing country producers. The report also asserts that industrialized countries that were the major contributors to global warming urgently need to do more to help poor farmers adapt their production systems to climate change.

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Access the report and related material at: www.worldbank.org/wdr2008

Journalists are encouraged to use this url in their reports.