Browsing: World Bank

At the just-concluded COP26, Africa received the short end of the stick yet again as the negotiations veered off permanent and workable solutions for the continent’s present predicament. 

The deliberations from the Glasgow event show that Africa has no option but to finance its adaptation with or without the biggest polluters’ US$100 billion commitment. 

Africa has to become innovative to mobilize financing with or without the pledges from the rich countries. The funding, which was due in 2020, has been pushed back to 2023 showing the lethargy the rest of the world has in addressing the real and current threat facing Africa. …

In June, the Voice of America reported that a bomb had gone off at a market in Tigray at about 1 pm, right when the market would be at its busiest time. At least 43 people were killed and dozens of others wounded.

This was June 22, a day after Ethiopia held its sixth national elections and a fortnight from the commencement of the second filling of the GERD.

Will fighting in Tigray deter Ethiopia’s GERD plans?…

Since November 2020, Tigray’s rebel forces have been fighting Ethiopia’s military forces, leaving hundreds in humanitarian crises and with countless deaths. This poses a threat to the rest of the region and to Ethiopia’s development initiatives. Ethiopia’s two neighbouring countries, South Sudan and Somalia, are also in deep civil conflict.
The World Bank (WB), one of Ethiopia’s close development partners, argues that its location gives this nation of more than 112 million people a strategic dominance as a “jumping-off” point in the Horn of Africa, close to the Middle East and its markets.
The second most populous country with the fastest growing economy in the region has impressed the globe with its development pace, from enhancing its aviation power to increasing infrastructure to make the country more accessible and up to speed. …

For the five years since 2002, Kenya registered its golden period in terms of economic growth. This was during President Mwai Kibaki’s first five-year term which ended in 2007. The Kenyan economy blossomed with the growth noticeable in both industry and tourism as well as in improved livelihoods.
At this time, the growth attracted the attention of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank because Kibaki’s government was not keen on funding from the Bretton Woods institutions. The government largely financed its budget from the revenues it collected which was unheard of in the previous regime. President Daniel Moi, Kibaki’s predecessor had deeply entrenched corruption in the country which wrecked the economy to almost collapse.
But today, the economy is worse than it was under Moi with the Jubilee government overseeing the worst job cuts, company closures and distressed livelihoods due to corruption. While the Covid-19 pandemic has …

China had been funding the development and exploitation of massive coal reserves in countries like Indonesia and Vietnam under an initiative called the Belt & Road but has come under pressure as the world tries to honour its Paris climate agreements.

This Belt & Road initiative is a strategy initiated by the People’s Republic of China that seeks to connect Asia with Africa and Europe via land and maritime networks with the aim of improving regional integration, increasing trade and stimulating economic growth. 

To realize this vision required the use of natural resources which China does not have entirely but other nations do and would then secure supply of this through the development of resources such as coal mines in developing countries. The Chinese are reportedly developing a US$3 billion coal mine in the Hwange area of Zimbabwe.…

• African economy has sustained significant impacts due to the pandemic
• Several sectors such as tourism and trade have been impacted significantly
• Despite the virus, Africa has demonstrated important issues towards handling pandemics

One of the most vibrant economies in the world, sub-Saharan Africa is slated to bounce back from the shocks of COVID-19 which left a number of economies shaken to the core and hundreds of lives lost.  

Despite the pandemic limiting several economic functions such as international travel—which marred tourism operations in East Africa, the region is expected to score growth of 3.3 per cent in 2021, according to a recent report by the World Bank. 

The October edition of Africa’s Pulse report explicitly noted that the resurgence of the economy is promoted by elevated commodity prices, a relaxation of stringent pandemic measures and recovery in global trade.  

Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda, are now working towards building …

The government of Tanzania has received 1.3tri/- as Covid-19 relief package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Now the government has announced plans to implement a score of projects that will be financed with this fund in a move it says, will help the private sector’s liquidity.

As part of its own fiscal policies to cushion the economy from the negative effects of the global pandemic, the government, through the Central Bank has also released another 1tri/- to commercial banks in a bid to increase their lending capacity.

With these funds, the Central Bank released funding and IMF funding that goes into implementing national projects, the private sector is empowered to borrow and win project tenders and as such increase money circulation in the economy.

The strategy is meant to back the economy which had slowed down due to reduced demand which in turn reduced produced production stagnating the whole …

• The Africa Pulse report notes that Sub-Saharan Africa exits recession this year, but recovery is still timid and fragile
• It adds that the region is reforming, and notes that what is most needed to boost and sustain economic recovery is financing

The World Bank now says that Sub-Saharan Africa is set to emerge from the 2020 recession sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic with growth expected to expand by 3.3 per cent in 2021.

This is one per cent higher than the April 2021 forecast according to its latest edition of Africa’s Pulse.

The bank said that the rebound is currently fueled by elevated commodity prices, a relaxation of stringent pandemic measures, and recovery in global trade.

“Commodity prices remain well above their pre-pandemic levels, with several reaching all-time highs. Oil prices rose above their pre-pandemic levels in the first half of 2021 but have plateaued more recently due to demand …

Commenting on Africa’s participation at the conference and the continent’s development in general Egypt’s representative at Expo 2020, Ahmed Maghawry Diab, who is also an official from the country’s Ministry of Trade and Industry said, “…the world has started to look at Africa and rediscover it…the continent has a lot of difficulties, but it has also started to develop.”

Another optimist for the continent’s development and what it has to offer is Dr. Levi Uche Madueke, Head of the African Union (AU) Strategic Partnerships Office and AU Commissioner General for Expo 2020 said, “…Africa is undergoing a dynamic socio-economic and political transformation. There is a lot happening on the continent but the world is yet to hear all about it. It is time to take charge of Africa’s narrative and reclaim its rightful place in the global arena.”…

Four critical universities best practices for fostering graduate employability are of interest: Industry partnerships, Aligning university education with a country’s development plans, Regular university curriculum reviews, and Strengthening quality assurance systems.

However, while Universities work to better prepare graduates for the workforce, it is imperative for the government and the private sector to step in and increase the employability of graduates who are already in the workforce.…