Download or read book Africa s Pulse No 19 April 2019 written by Cesar Calderon and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-04-08 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated to have decelerated from 2.5 percent in 2017 to 2.3 percent in 2018, below the rate of growth of population for a fourth consecutive year. Regional growth in 2018 is below the pace projected in 2018 October issue of Africa's Pulse {0.4 percentage points lower). This slowdown was more pronounced in the first half of 2018 and it reflected weaker exports among the region's large oil exporters (Nigeria and Angola) due to dwindling oil production amid higher but volatile international prices for crude petroleum. A deeper contraction in Sudanese economic activity and a broad-based growth slowdown among non-resource-intensive countries also played a role. Sub-Saharan African countries with fragile context have made considerable efforts to find a way out of fragility. Regional and sub-regional economic organizations are promoting economic cooperation and addressing security and peace challenges that go beyond national borders. The special topic of this issue of Africa's Pulse argues that the digital economy can unlock new pathways for inclusive growth, innovation, job creation, service delivery and poverty reduction in Africa. The continent has made. great strides in mobile connectivity; however, it still lags the rest of the world in access to broadband. Only 27 percent of the population in the continent have access to internet, few citizens have digital IDs, businesses are slowly adopting digital technologies and only few governments are investing strategically in developing digital infrastructure, services, skills, and entrepreneurship.

Download or read book Africa s Pulse No 20 October 2019 written by Cesar Calderon and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-10-09 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Growth in sub-Saharan Africa has slightly recovered in 2019 (2.6 percent) from 2.5 percent in 2018. Economic recovery continues at a sluggish pace with growth in the region expected to pick up to 3 .1 percent in 2020 and 3 .2 percent in 2021. Accelerating poverty reduction in Africa requires action in four policy areas: fertility reduction, leveraging the food system on and off the farm, addressing risk and conflict, and providing more public financing to the poverty reduction agenda. Sustaining growth and eradicating poverty calls for policy solutions to empower African women in the following dimensions: building the right skills, relieving capital constraints, securing land rights, connecting women to labor, addressing social norms that limit women's economic opportunities, and boosting the capacity of the next generation.

Download or read book Accelerating Poverty Reduction in Africa written by Kathleen Beegle and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-10-09 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sub-Saharan Africa's turnaround over the past couple of decades has been dramatic. After many years in decline, the continent's economy picked up in the mid-1990s. Along with this macroeconomic growth, people became healthier, many more youngsters attended schools, and the rate of extreme poverty declined from 54 percent in 1990 to 41 percent in 2015. Political and social freedoms expanded, and gender equality advanced. Conflict in the region also subsided, although it still claims thousands of civilian lives in some countries and still drives pressing numbers of displaced persons. Despite Africa’s widespread economic and social welfare accomplishments, the region’s challenges remain daunting: Economic growth has slowed in recent years. Poverty rates in many countries are the highest in the world. And notably, the number of poor in Africa is rising because of population growth. From a global perspective, the biggest concentration of poverty has shifted from South Asia to Africa. Accelerating Poverty Reduction in Africa explores critical policy entry points to address the demographic, societal, and political drivers of poverty; improve income-earning opportunities both on and off the farm; and better mobilize resources for the poor. It looks beyond macroeconomic stability and growth—critical yet insufficient components of these objectives—to ask what more could be done and where policy makers should focus their attention to speed up poverty reduction. The pro-poor policy agenda advanced in this volume requires not only economic growth where the poor work and live, but also mitigation of the many risks to which African households are exposed. As such, this report takes a "jobs" lens to its task. It focuses squarely on the productivity and livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable—that is, what it will take to increase their earnings. Finally, it presents a road map for financing the poverty and development agenda.

Download or read book Acc l rer la r duction de la pauvret en Afrique written by Kathleen Beegle and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-10-09 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Le redressement de l’Afrique subsaharienne a été spectaculaire au cours des deux dernières décennies. Après de nombreuses années de déclin, l’économie du continent a commencé à reprendre de la vigueur au milieu des années 90. Grâce à cette croissance macroéconomique, la santé de la population s’est améliorée, le nombre des jeunes fréquentant l’école a augmenté, et le taux d'extrême pauvreté a diminué de 54 % en 1990 à 41 % en 2015. La région a connu moins de conflits (en dépit de ceux qui couvent dans certains pays et du nombre inquiétant des personnes déplacées), un élargissement des libertés politiques et sociales, et des progrès dans l’égalité hommes-femmes. Malgré ces avancées, les défis sont énormes. La croissance économique a ralenti au cours des dernières années. Les taux de pauvreté affichés dans de nombreux pays sont les plus élevés du monde. Et la croissance démographique africaine provoque une augmentation du nombre des pauvres du continent. Au niveau mondial, on assiste à un déplacement de la pauvreté de l'Asie du Sud vers l'Afrique. La stabilité et la croissance macroéconomiques sont certes des composantes essentielles de la réduction de la pauvreté et de l’amélioration du bien-être, mais elles ne sont pas suffisantes. Ce rapport explore les points d’entrée critiques et les domaines d’action prioritaires pour l’accélération de la réduction de la pauvreté en Afrique. Au-delà de la stabilité et de la croissance macroéconomiques, il cherche à savoir ce qui peut encore être fait et à identifier les points sur lesquels les décideurs devraient se concentrer pour réduire la pauvreté. Un agenda des politiques favorable aux pauvres requiert de la croissance aux endroits où ceux-ci vivent et travaillent, ainsi que de s’attaquer aux nombreux risques auxquels les ménages sont exposés. En conséquence de quoi, le présent rapport a ajouté une optique « emplois » à son travail. Il met carrément l’accent sur la productivité et les moyens de subsistance des pauvres et des personnes vulnérables, autrement dit sur ce qui est nécessaire pour accroître leurs revenus. Il s’attache enfin à la manière de financer l’agenda de lutte contre la pauvreté et de développement.

Download or read book Poverty Inequality and Innovation in the Global South written by Oliver Mtapuri and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-03-03 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited volume analyzes the experiences learned in practice especially among small holder farmers to eradicate poverty. In other words, it discusses practical solutions which small scale farmers can use to alleviate poverty and reduce inequality. This addresses the issue of inclusive and sustainability of projects leading to the notion of not leaving anyone behind. The book provides insights that can be translated into policy with potential to inform practice. It also has the potential to address the issue of rural urban migration by providing knowledge that is usable by small scale farmers, policy makers and entrepreneurs alike. The volume is written by authors from different countries, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, indicating the commonality of the problems of poverty and inequality. It contains insights from all these countries assembled together into an amalgam of practices ready to use and implement informed by evidence from the field as most of the chapters are based on empirical data.

Download or read book Emerging Debates in the Construction Industry written by Ernest Kissi and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-05-09 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides readers with an insightful understanding of the various emerging issues in the construction industry, especially in the area associated with United Nations developmental goals, 4th Industrial Revolution, Health and Safety, Sustainability, Skills and Capacity development. The need for all practitioner to understand growing issues surrounding the various evolving concepts or technologies in the construction industry remain critical to stakeholders if any meaningful gains are expected. This book explains the importance of inclusion, health and safety, skills development, collaboration, pandemics, the fourth industrial revolution, capacity building, and green finance, among others. Thus, it provides an in-depth understanding of the issues mentioned in developed and developing countries for construction professionals, researchers, educators, and other stakeholders. The book can be adopted as a research guide, framework, and reference on the emerging concepts in construction practices.

Download or read book Economic Inclusion in Post Independence Africa written by David Mhlanga and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-09-04 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The second in a three-volume series, this edited volume discusses post-independence economic inclusion in selected African countries. While human development indices rise and poverty rates fall across the African continent, facilitated by recent technological and innovation development which reaches previously inaccessible regions, indicators continue to lag in several crucial areas. Economic and social inclusion, therefore, remains at the forefront of development discussions across the continent. Using a variety of case studies underpinned by multidisciplinary research approaches, the chapters in this book explore a wide range of economic and financial inclusion issues from all aspects; from benefits and challenges to the steps that need to be taken to improve the level of economic inclusion on the continent. Governments, development agencies, non-governmental organizations with a bias toward development, students, and university lecturers will all find this book interesting.

Download or read book Delivering Growth to People Through Better Jobs written by Weltbankgruppe and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2023 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to slow to 2.5 percent in 2023 from 3.6 percent in 2022. It is projected to increase to 3.7 percent in 2024 and 4.1 percent in 2025. However, in per capita terms, the region is projected to slightly contract over 2015-2025. The region faces many challenges, including a "lost decade" of sluggish growth, persistently low per capita income, mounting fiscal pressures exacerbated by high debt burdens, and an urgent need for job creation. Tackling these multifaceted issues requires comprehensive reforms to promote economic prosperity, reduce poverty, and create sustainable employment opportunities in the region. This will require an ecosystem that facilitates firm entry, stability, growth, and skill development that matches business demand.

Download or read book The Blue Economy in Sub Saharan Africa written by DONALD L. SPARKS and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-06-16 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The blue economy, comprising coastal and marine resources, offers vast benefits for sub-Saharan Africa: of the 53 countries and territories in the region, 32 are coastal states; there are 13 million sq km of maritime zones; more than 90% of the region’s exports and imports come by sea; and the African Union hails the blue economy as the ‘new frontier of African renaissance’. Despite their importance, the region’s coastal and marine resources have been neither fully appreciated nor fully utilized. They are only now being recognized as being key to Africa’s potential prosperity. As the region grows, it has, in general, not taken adequate safeguards to protect these valuable resources. That is partly because some of the problems (pollution, for example) are regional and know no borders. All too often, short-term gains are made at the expense of the long term (overfishing, for example). This book provides, for the first time, a study of the constraints and opportunities the blue economy offers for sub-Saharan Africa. It includes an introduction and overview; sectoral analyses (including tourism, fisheries, mineral resources, culture, shipping and maritime safety); country case studies; and analyses of regional and international efforts towards better coastal zone and marine management.

Download or read book Technological Leapfrogging and Innovation in Africa written by Ethné Swartz and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2023-10-06 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offering invaluable insights into technologically-driven change in Africa, this incisive book envisions myriad positive economic changes brought about by new technologies and innovations. Rooted in original research from contributors who have worked and taught in Africa, it encapsulates developments and breakthroughs throughout the continent.

Download or read book Africa s Pulse No 23 October 2021 written by Albert G. Zeufack and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2021-10-06 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa has been severe; however, countries are weathering the storm so far. Real GDP is estimated to contract by 2.0 percent in 2020—close to the lower bound of the forecast range in April 2020, and less than the contraction in advanced economies and other emerging markets and developing economies, excluding China. Available data from the second half of 2020 point to rebound in economic activity that explain why the contraction in the region was in the lower bound of the forecasts. It reflected a slower spread of the virus and lower COVID-19-related mortality in the region, strong agricultural growth, and a faster-than-expected recovery in commodity prices. Economic activity in the region is expected to rise to a range between2.3 and 3.4 percent in 2021, depending on the policy measures adopted by countries and the international community. However, prospects for a slow vaccine rollout, the resurgence of pandemic, and limited scope for additional fiscal support, could hold back the recovery in the region. Policies to support the economy in the near term should be complemented by structural reforms that encourage sustained investment, create jobs and enhance competitiveness. Reducing the countries’ debt burden will release resources for public investment, in areas such as education, health, and infrastructure. Investments in human capital will help lower the risk of long-lasting damage from the pandemic which may become apparent over the longer term, and can enhance competitiveness and productivity. The next twelve months will be a critical period for leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area in order to deepen African countries’ integration into regional and global value chains. Finally, reforms that address digital infrastructure gaps and make the digital economy more inclusive †“ensuring affordability but also building skills for all segments of society, are critical to improve connectivity, boost digital technology adoption, and generate more and better jobs for men and women.

Download or read book Global Economic Prospects June 2021 written by World Bank and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2021-08-03 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The world economy is experiencing a very strong but uneven recovery, with many emerging market and developing economies facing obstacles to vaccination. The global outlook remains uncertain, with major risks around the path of the pandemic and the possibility of financial stress amid large debt loads. Policy makers face a difficult balancing act as they seek to nurture the recovery while safeguarding price stability and fiscal sustainability. A comprehensive set of policies will be required to promote a strong recovery that mitigates inequality and enhances environmental sustainability, ultimately putting economies on a path of green, resilient, and inclusive development. Prominent among the necessary policies are efforts to lower trade costs so that trade can once again become a robust engine of growth. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Global Economic Prospects. The Global Economic Prospects is a World Bank Group Flagship Report that examines global economic developments and prospects, with a special focus on emerging market and developing economies, on a semiannual basis (in January and June). Each edition includes analytical pieces on topical policy challenges faced by these economies.

Download or read book Unlocking the Lower Skies written by Aiga Stokenberga and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2021-06-08 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the economic and broader societal rationale for using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or “drone†? technologies as a complement to the current transport and logistics systems in several use cases in East Africa. The specific use cases examined include medical goods deliveries, food aid delivery, land mapping and risk assessment, agriculture, and transport and energy infrastructure inspection. Across these applications, the case for using UAVs is examined within the context of logistics objectives—total operating costs, speed, availability, and flexibility—as well as human, or societal, objectives. In the public health use case, as more low- and middle-income countries explore opportunities to improve efficiency and performance in their health supply chains and diagnostics networks, they face myriad choices about how best to use UAVs to improve product availability and public health outcomes and to reach the last mile. The high-level findings from this analysis are that, if examining commodity categories individually and looking exclusively at costs, delivery with UAVs in general is still more expensive for most categories. Although the cost is still higher, the most cost-effective use case examples include the transport of laboratory samples to selected destinations and delivery of life-saving items and blood. However, “layering†? several use cases can provide efficiencies and cost savings by allocating fixed costs across a greater number of flights and maximizing capacity and time utilization. From the perspective of public decision-makers, the cost effectiveness of UAVs cannot be analyzed without looking at the public health benefits, which may be substantial. Drone application in the other use cases examined in this book, such as mapping, risk assessment, and agriculture, is relatively more common than cargo drone operations, and the existing pilot initiatives in East Africa have delivered impressive results for speed and quality (precision). Food aid delivery by drones is still mostly at a planning, rather than implementation, stage. Drone applications are rapidly evolving, and several use cases could gain impact and scale over the coming years.

Download or read book Digital Senegal for Inclusive Growth written by Marcio Cruz and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2022-05-27 with total page 151 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Senegal, like all African countries, needs better and more jobs for its growing population. The main message of Digital Senegal for Inclusive Growth is that broader use of productivity-enhancing technologies by households and enterprises can generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. Adoption of better technologies can support both Senegal’s short-term objective of economic recovery and its vision of economic transformation with more inclusive growth. But this is not automatic. This book leverages a novel survey instrument that measures adoption of technologies at the firm level. Results from this survey show that there is a large average technological gap in Senegal relative to firms in Brazil, in the range of 36 and 30 percent for extensive (whether firms use it at all) and intensive (the most frequently applied) uses of better technologies such as for business administration. Except for a small number of firms, enterprises still mostly use manual, analog technologies to perform general and sector specific business functions. Micro-size informal enterprises lag even further. The benefits from technology adoption are significant. Digital technologies are an enabler of economy-wide productivity and jobs growth by catalyzing adoption of complementary technologies, including many not accessible without digital infrastructure. For households, mobile internet coverage is associated with 14 percent higher total consumption, as well as a 10 percent lower extreme poverty rate—and jobs with higher earnings. Firms with better technologies have higher levels of productivity, generate more jobs, and increase the share of lower-skilled workers on their payroll, on average: an increase in technological sophistication across general business functions that the firm uses most intensively, such as using standard software rather than writing by hand for business administration, is associated with a 14 percent higher jobs growth rate. For these and other inclusive growth benefits to be realized, Senegal should focus on ensuring availability of affordable digital infrastructure and implementing targeted incentives to promote use by firms of better technologies as well as policies to narrow deepening digital divides across enterprises and households.

Download or read book Which Way to Livable and Productive Cities written by Kirsten Hommann and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-04-18 with total page 59 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For African cities to grow economically as they have grown in size, they must create productive environments to attract investments, increase economic efficiency, and create livable environments that prevent urban costs from rising with increased population densification. What are the central obstacles that prevent African cities and towns from becoming sustainable engines of economic growth and prosperity? Among the most critical factors that limit the growth and livability of urban areas are land markets, investments in public infrastructure and assets, and the institutions to enable both. To unleash the potential of African cities and towns for delivering services and employment in a livable and environmentally friendly environment, a sequenced approach is needed to reform institutions and policies and to target infrastructure investments. This book lays out three foundations that need fixing to guide cities and towns throughout Sub-Saharan Africa on their way to productivity and livability.

Download or read book 2021 Global food policy report Transforming food systems after COVID 19 written by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2021-04-13 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The coronavirus pandemic has upended local, national, and global food systems, and put the Sustainable Development Goals further out of reach. But lessons from the world’s response to the pandemic can help address future shocks and contribute to food system change. In the 2021 Global Food Policy Report, IFPRI researchers and other food policy experts explore the impacts of the pandemic and government policy responses, particularly for the poor and disadvantaged, and consider what this means for transforming our food systems to be healthy, resilient, efficient, sustainable, and inclusive. Chapters in the report look at balancing health and economic policies, promoting healthy diets and nutrition, strengthening social protection policies and inclusion, integrating natural resource protection into food sector policies, and enhancing the contribution of the private sector. Regional sections look at the diverse experiences around the world, and a special section on finance looks at innovative ways of funding food system transformation. Critical questions addressed include: - Who felt the greatest impact from falling incomes and food system disruptions caused by the pandemic? - How can countries find an effective balance among health, economic, and social policies in the face of crisis? - How did lockdowns affect diet quality and quantity in rural and urban areas? - Do national social protection systems such as cash transfers have the capacity to protect poor and vulnerable groups in a global crisis? - Can better integration of agricultural and ecosystem polices help prevent the next pandemic? - How did companies accelerate ongoing trends in digitalization and integration to keep food supply chains moving? - What different challenges did the pandemic spark in Asia, Africa, and Latin America and how did these regions respond?

Download or read book Global Economic Prospects June 2019 written by World Bank Group and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2019-07-11 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Global growth appears to be stabilizing after a period of marked weakness, but it remains fragile. A modest recovery in emerging market and developing economies continues to be constrained by subdued investment, which is dampening prospects and impeding progress toward achieving critical development goals. Downside risks to the outlook remain elevated, and policymakers continue to face major challenges to boost resilience and foster long-term growth. this issue includes essays on the benefits and risks of government borrowing, recent investment weakness in emerging market and developing economies, the pass-through of currency depreciations to inflation, and the evolution of growth in low-income countries.