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Discover how battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell technologies are transforming urban transport, boosting economic growth, and improving air quality in cities across the developing world.

In response to the increasingly frequency of floods and droughts, several countries in West and Central Africa are developing climate-adaptive social protection systems. The goal is to build the resilience of poor populations and ensure a rapid response in times of crisis.

Pastoralism has long been a hallmark of the cultural, social, and economic landscapes of the Sahel and West Africa, sustaining the livelihoods of over 20 million people. This age-old practice contributes nearly 15% to the GDP of Sahelian countries, serving not only as an economic mainstay but also fostering peace and resilience within communities. However, the sustainability of pastoralism is increasingly threatened by various external pressures, making robust global support essential to help the region adapt to the changing conditions.

Khady Beye Sene cannot hide her satisfaction: after losing her home to coastal erosion in 2018, she had long doubted the possibility of ever having another suitable place to live.

A recent study, commissioned by the World Bank, identifies the challenges faced by internal migrants and internally displaced people in accessing and benefitting from social protection interventions. Drawing from global experiences, it highlights good practices for including internal movement considerations into social protection programs and systems.

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 result, extreme poverty is increasingly concentrated in this region. In 1990, 14% of the world’s poor lived in Africa, by 2019, 57% of the world’s poorest lived in Sub-Sahara Africa.

School leadership plays a major role in shaping the quality of education, acting as a strategic lever to foster conducive learning conditions for students. Despite this, the characteristics of school leaders, particularly gender, have received little attention, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). At the same time, positive outcomes associated with women’s leadership have been documented in domains such as politics, health, and business.

A new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is set to open in late December, making Senegal the first all-electric BRT system on the African continent.

The World Development Report 2018 (WDR) focused on how to help every child in the world learn. Schools play many roles in society, but helping children to master fundamental skills is one of their most important.

Adopting an algorithm improves tax equity when bureaucrats undervalue the wealth of the richest. Guest blog by Justine Knebelmann.

The West African Economic and Monetary Union community, which comprises Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo, is facing a deficit of decent housing of around 3.5 million units. A total of 250,000 additional houses would have to be built each year to respond to the combined impact of demographic growth and rapid urbanization.

Africa is not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating extreme poverty. While many countries were successful in reducing poverty during the years before the pandemic, its economic disruptions coupled with climate disasters and food and fuel inflation caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have put spanners in the wheels. Growing vulnerabilities to climate events like droughts and floods, food insecurity as well as widening fragility in several parts of the continent darken the outlook. A burgeoning youth population faces poor prospects for productive employment, raising social tensions and robbing countries of their demographic dividend.

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 together to share lessons and learn from each other.

Building digital public infrastructure, harmonizing legal and regulatory frameworks, and investing in regional financing for digital infrastructure can help unlock Africa's digital potential and foster economic and social benefits in Africa.

The substantial infrastructure needs in Sub-Saharan Africa cannot be met without sizeable private-sector financing. Anecdotal evidence from a recent IFC study shows improved regulatory frameworks lead to increased private participation in infrastructure (PPI) financing.

As climate change diminishes the availability of surface water in Africa, groundwater has emerged as a vital untapped resource. But in the Sahel, a global hotspot for climate change and one of the poorest regions in the world, limited knowledge about groundwater resources hampers efforts to develop strategies to cope with water scarcity. Nor are there enough hydrogeologists trained in the sustainable management of this resource. In March 2022, CIWA organized a weeklong roundtable discussion which brought together academics responsible for training groundwater specialists to identify the main gaps in training and forge solutions.

In April 20202, Action Against Hunger published a report presenting a set of measures designed to mitigate the impacts of the upcoming food crisis. The report started with a statement that is likely to evoke a strong sense of déjà-vu for any development practitioner familiar with the Sahel : “ The 2022 lean season is likely to be particularly difficult for food and nutrition security in the Sahel” .

In this blog, we highlight two projects that leveraged data-driven policymaking processes and simulations.