The World Bank - Working for a world free of poverty

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Insuring investments, ensuring opportunities

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About us

As a member of the World Bank Group, MIGA's mission is to promote foreign direct investment (FDI) into developing countries to help support economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve people's lives. It does this by providing political risk insurance (guarantees) to the private sector.

infrastructure

More Precious than Gold?

Submitted by Cara Santos Pianesi on Thu, 2010-11-11 17:10

World Bank President Robert Zoellick will discuss topics other than gold while in Asia this week, in case you’re wondering.

One of those topics is infrastructure, which—to denizens in the developing world who struggle to move goods and people, drink clean water, and keep the lights on—may be more precious than any metal.

On Wednesday Zoellick was in Singapore for a prominent infrastructure conference, where he underlined that a focus on infrastructure is a key part of the solid growth agenda the G-20 is trying to tackle. He also noted some important facts. First, infrastructure investment represents two-thirds of growth increase in East Asia and about half of the growth increase in Africa. Second, the World Bank estimates the need for infrastructure investment and maintenance in developing countries will amount to about $900 billion a year.

MIGA's Support for the Cement Industry

Submitted by Michael Christopher on Wed, 2010-02-24 13:15
See video

Senior Underwriter Nkem Onwuamaegbu explains how MIGA's guarantees can help cement manufacturers mitigate political risks.  View a sample project of how MIGA's helping the cement industry. 

Powering up Africa

Submitted by Rebecca Post on Fri, 2010-02-12 15:53

Breaking news! The OrPower4 Project has been awarded:
African Renewables Deal of the Year 2009 from Project Finance Magazine.

After a long journey to Nairobi, in the midst of a much-needed shower, the room went black. Fortunately the lights came on a few seconds later. My good fortune was only due to the fact that the hotel’s generator kicked in – with its attendant high cost and environmental and safety hazards. 

I’m no stranger to the power outages that present themselves nearly every evening in this part of the world, but it’s one thing to experience a minor inconvenience, quite another for the business that is losing money due to power outages, the student who is losing out on opportunities because she can’t study at night, or the doctor trying to treat a victim of a late-night road accident. And these are the lucky ones. Only 15 percent of all Kenyans have any access to electricity.