Sub-Saharan Africa has experienced low economic growth per capita, a very slow decline in poverty incidence, and the number of people living in extreme poverty has been rising steadily. As a…

Johannes Hoogeveen, Johan A. Mistiaen, Haoyu Wu |

Like many of its neighbors, Benin is experiencing growing threats of conflict. The country’s proximity to Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, and Mali—all experiencing violent extremism—makes it…

Solene Rougeaux, Saint-Martin Kodjovi Mongan Agbeshie |

A look back at South Asia’s year in 10 blogs. These blogs spotlight stories of resilience and innovation, and explore issues critical to the region such as air pollution, climate change, women’s…

Adnan Siddiqi, Trishna Thapa |

That refugees want to return is sometimes taken as a given, and their motivation for repatriating is assumed. Repatriation is often discussed in terms of a return “home” even a generation or more…

Xavier Devictor |

At the recent Global Forum on Transboundary Water Cooperation for Climate and Development hosted by the World Bank in Washington, D.C., River Basin Organizations (RBOs) from all continents came…

Saroj Kumar Jha, H. E. Mohamed Abdel Vetah |

The Cooperation in International Waters in Africa (CIWA)’s origin story has its roots in the Nile Basin. On February 22nd (Nile Day), to celebrate the Nile, the world’s longest river which…

Ai-Ju Huang, Shyam KC |

This blog is a biweekly feature highlighting recent working papers from around the World Bank Group. This entry introduces 5 papers published from April 1 to April 15 on various topics, including…

Marcelo Buitron, Policy Research Working Paper team |

Many communities across Africa still lack access to an all-weather road. A recent World Bank study shows drones can help fill the gap and deliver essential goods or services to isolated…

Aiga Stokenberga, María Catalina Ochoa |

The Sahel Region is a priority for the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for the world’s poorest countries.

Axel van Trotsenburg |