Despite years of fiscal decentralization, not many countries have been able to quantify the size and structure of the economies at the decentralized units. To our knowledge, only South Africa has…
Students line up to wash their hands before eating at Kanda Estate Primary School in Accra, Ghana. Photo © Dominic Chavez/World Bank Human capital, that is the set of skills, health and knowledge…
The traditional route of industrialization for developing countries may no longer be available for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This should not be a source of regret, as the…
In the Africa Chief Economist’s Office, we seek to generate knowledge on key development issues around the continent. We also host the Gender Innovation Lab, which – as the name suggests –…
Lucy Odiwa, an entrepreneur in Tanzania whose firm, promotes safer and more sustainable methods for handling menstrual health hygiene management (MHM) won the first place in the SDGs&Her…
Photo: shplendid | Flickr Creative Commons Talk of trade tariffs and heightened geopolitical tensions are dominating news headlines recently. As developed economies consider escalating…
A fruit and vegetable stand in Kampala. Photo: Arne Hoel / World Bank According to The Africa Competitiveness Report 2017, Africa is forecasted to produce just 100 million new jobs by 2035, while…
Interest rate caps can have far-reaching consequences on the composition and maturity of commercial bank loans and deposits. From both a policy and research standpoint, it is important to…
What does it take to finance sustainable water supply and sanitation? The World Bank Group takes this question very seriously indeed. That’s why during the recent Global Water Summit, the World…
Opening plenary of the Africa Carbon Forum Albert Einstein once said: “The only source of knowledge is experience.” For years I have wondered about this. Surely you can understand something…