Africa Region Findings & Good Practice Infobriefs

415 items available

Permanent URI for this collection

http://hdl.handle.net/10986/9389

These briefs report on ongoing operational, economic, and sector work carried out by the World Bank and its member governments in the Africa Region.

Items in this collection

Now showing 1 - 10 of 22

Zambia - Social Investment Fund Project

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2008-07) Mastri, Lawrence

The Zambia Social Investment Fund (ZAMSIF) is part of a two phase program (over 10 years) intended to support two of the objectives outlined in the Government of Zambia's (GRZ) National Poverty Reduction Strategic Framework & Action Plan (1999-2004). The specific project objectives were to (i) achieve sustainable improved availability and use of quality basic social services by beneficiary communities and specific vulnerable groups; (ii) contribute to the building of capacity for improved local governance; and (iii) strengthen the capacity to provide timely information on poverty and social conditions and facilitate its use in policy making.
Measuring Corruption : Myths and Realities

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2007-04) Kaufmann, Daniel ; Kraay, Aart ; Mastruzzi, Massimo

The report points out that over the past decade measuring corruption has become an ever-growing empirical field. This empirical analysis questions the traditional notion of viewing the firm as an 'investment climate taker' and thus ignoring the view that powerful conglomerates can also shape the business climate and thus become 'investment climate makers'. The study implies that it is warranted to move away from simply blaming government officials for prevailing corruption, and to question the value of popular initiatives such as voluntary-and often un-monitorable-codes of conduct. In this report, some popular notions are espoused, which either lack clarity or are not backed up by rigorous analysis or evidence. In this article the authors highlight some of the main issues in these debates, in the form of seven myths and their associated realities, and conclude by also pointing to some brief implications for the private sector role in fighting corruption.
Malawi - Public Works Programme : Conditional Cash Transfers as an Emergency Response to a National Food Shortage

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2006-05) Kalanda, Boniface ; Mandala, Charles ; Magwira, Joseph

This paper reports that in the 2004-2005 growing season, Malawi experienced a drought which affected farm produce and subsequently led to country-wide food shortages. Due to the food shortage, the Malawi Government implemented a Public Works Programme -- Conditional Cash Transfers (PWP-CCT) to transfer cash income to vulnerable households to enable them buy food and agricultural inputs for the 2005-2006 growing season. The paper explains the 2004-2005 drought, implementation of the PWP-CCT, and the issues and lessons learnt.
Strengthening Oversight by Legislatures

(Washington, DC, 2003-09) World Bank

About 90 percent of the world's nearly 200 sovereign states have national legislatures or parliaments. With the spread of democracy and the rise of multiparty political systems, these bodies are playing larger roles in government. Increasingly, legislatures and their members perform four important functions of governance: Making policies and laws. Legislatures are representative bodies for collective decision-making, working with the executive branch to deliberate policies and make laws. Representing citizens. Legislators give voice to individual citizens, civil society organizations, and business groups, representing the needs of local constituents in policymaking. Overseeing the executive. Legislatures oversee policy implementation by the executive branch, scrutinizing its work and holding it accountable. Recruiting future leaders. Legislatures are stepping stones and training grounds for senior positions in the executive branch.
Helping Parliaments to Help the Poor

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2003-01) Stapenhurst, Frederick C.

One of the key features of the PRSP process is that, while government led, there should be broad consultations within countries and wide participation by civil society, to ensure "country ownership." The involvement of Parliaments could be even more pervasive, however, given that, in many countries, parliaments have become key pressures for government reform, aiming to see that governments work more effectively, efficiently, and openly. How this was done depended on circumstances and opportunities to achieve positive change. The strengthening of parliamentary committee capacity seems to offer the most promise, but significant improvements in performance which committees work to achieve are often necessary to have such an impact.
The Eritrea Community Development Fund Project

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2002-10) Bradley, Marilou

The Eritrea Community Development project was established to provide for poor communities especially in the rural and war-devastated areas. The project provided an important platform for harnessing local input in local development efforts, strengthened the capacity of communities to manage, and implement their own development priorities. The project supported better access to school facilities, health facilities, and health care services; increased access to safe water; and feeder roads increased access to rural communities, markets, and social services. The project supported community-based initiatives to protect and improve the environment. The project used loan funds to improve community livelihood, increase their self-confidence, and economic independence. The construction of market places provided access to the rural population, including urban dwellers, and veterinary clinics increased the access of households. The project developed human resources, expanded private sector employment and growth, and improved basic social and economic infrastructure. The project promoted local governance, transparency, accountability, local capacity building, and sustainability of local services.
Burkina Faso : Structural Adjustment Credit III

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2002-03) Mohan, P. C.

The overall objective of the US$25 million credit, which closed in June 2000, was to support a reform program aiming at: a) enhancing the competitiveness of the Burkinabe economy to substantially raise growth rates over the medium term and alleviate poverty; b) improving public finance management, particularly with regard to tax policy and the use of public resources; and c) completing the third phase of the common external tariff (CET) adopted by the west African Economic and Monetary Union (WAMEU). This Note discusses the impact on the ground and the lessons learned from the project implementation.
Gender and Growth : Africa's Missed Potential

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2001-12) Gelb, Alan

In the study "Can Africa claim the 21st century?" the author argues on the enormous unexploited potential the region has in its people, "a hidden growth reserve" as he refers to them, and, most importantly in its women, who now provide more than half the region's labor, but who lack equal access to education, concluding that gender equality can be a potential force for accelerated poverty reduction in Africa. The note looks at women and men in African economies, identifying that women work far longer hours than men, being prominent in agriculture, which leads to estimate that women contribute about two thirds of the total rural transport effort. Case studies show how gender inequality limits growth, and the note further compares this reality to the potential productivity, given a gender-inclusive growth, suggesting key tasks should focus on systematic sex-disaggregation of data, to include economic production data and integration of gender modules in statistical surveys, so as to be reflected in national accounts.
Tourism in Africa

( 2001-07) Christie, Iain ; Cromption, Doreen Elizabeth

Governments in Africa are showing increasing interest in tourism as a source of growth and diversification. Recent work indicates that tourism in Africa can contribute effectively to economic development. The tourism industry throughout Africa often operates below international competitive standards, but several products already meet international standards of excellence. This Notes examines the government's role in ensuring economic, environmental, and cultural sustainability, poverty alleviation, and social inclusion.
Raising Growth and Investment in Sub-Saharan Africa

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2001-06) Hernanadez-Cata, Ernesto

Sub-Saharan Africa's long-term growth performance will need to improve significantly for the region to visibly reduce poverty and raise the standard of living to an acceptable level. Appropriate actions will also be needed to ensure that an adequate share of the growing income is devoted to reducing poverty. The key policy question for these countries and their development partners is how to spur economic growth. Empirical studies suggest that the contributions to growth of physical investment and total factor productivity in sub-Saharan Africa have been low in comparison with other regions and have declined over time. These trends have reflected inefficiencies in resource allocation, poor delivery of public goods, notably health care and education; and the high risk of doing business in many parts of the region. Moreover, although the labor force has expanded rapidly, its productivity has remained relatively low because of generally poor standards of health and education.