Publication:
Improving Health, Nutrition and Population Outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa : The Role of the World Bank

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (3.79 MB)
513 downloads
English Text (897.46 KB)
372 downloads
Date
2004-12-01
ISSN
Published
2004-12-01
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
In recent years, the focus in many developing regions is increasingly moving away from communicable disease, where as Africa continues to face a high burden of communicable disease, malnutrition, and fertility. At the same time, the ways in which the World Bank operates are changing - increasingly countries define their own priorities, resources are provided through programmatic approaches, and the Bank is focusing more on sharing knowledge, policy advice, research and analysis. This book takes an in-depth look at health, nutrition, and population (HNP) challenges faced by Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly how disease, malnutrition, and high fertility affect poverty reduction. The authors contend that the World Bank has a comparative advantage in contributing within four broad areas: 1) macroeconomics and health, 2) multi-sectoral action for health, 3) strengthening health systems, and 4) financing service delivery. They also address the opportunities and challenges within these four areas and conclude with suggestions on how the Bank can better operate within the sector and work effectively with partners.
Link to Data Set
Citation
World Bank. 2004. Improving Health, Nutrition and Population Outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa : The Role of the World Bank. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/14418 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
Associated URLs
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Health and Growth : Commission on Growth and Development
    (World Bank, 2009) Spence, Michael; Lewis, Maureen
    The commission on growth and development was established in April 2006. It felt that the benefits of growth were not fully appreciated, but also recognized that the causes of growth were not fully understood. Growth is often overlooked and underrated as an instrument for tackling the world's most pressing problems, such as poverty, illiteracy, income inequality, unemployment, and pollution. At the same time, grasp of the sources of growth in developing countries is less definitive than commonly thought even though advice is sometimes given to policy makers in these countries with great confidence, perhaps greater than the state of knowledge will justify. Consequently, the commission's mandate is to 'take stock of the state of theoretical and empirical knowledge on economic growth with a view to drawing implications for policy for the current and next generation of policy makers. Good health improves the capacity to learn and work, which dramatically improves income and welfare at the household level even if the effects at the aggregate level may be harder to discern. The methodological problems in capturing these gains deserve attention and further work. More attention also needs to be paid to upgrading healthcare institutions, as more of the same is neither affordable nor desirable.
  • Publication
    Health Investments and Economic Growth : Macroeconomic Evidence and Microeconomic Foundations
    (2009-03-01) Jack, William; Lewis, Maureen
    This paper reviews the correlations and potential links between health and economic growth and summarizes the evidence on the role of government in improving health status. At the macroeconomic level, the evidence of an impact of health on growth remains ambiguous due both to difficulties in measuring health, and to the methodological challenges of identifying causal links. The evidence on the micro linkages from health investments to productivity and income are robust. Progress in life expectancy over the past two centuries has been spectacular, fueled by: improved agriculture that has increased food quantity; knowledge of disease transmission, and effective public health interventions that have controlled communicable diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, and hookworm; and, most recently and importantly, investments in very young children that pay off in healthier and more productive adults. Whether public investments in medical care affect health hinges on the quality of health institutions. In much of the developing world, factors such as chronic absenteeism among public providers, poor budget execution, ineffective management, and virtually no accountability weaken public efforts. Institutional issues are central in efforts to enhance public health investments, which in turn have a direct impact on the population's welfare and, perhaps over the long term, improvements in national income.
  • Publication
    Towards Interventions in Human Resources for Health in Ghana : Evidence for Health Workforce Planning and Results
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2013-03-22) Appiah-Denkyira, Ebenezer; Herbst, Christopher H.; Soucat, Agnes; Lemiere, Christophe; Saleh, Karima
    This book towards interventions in human resources for health in Ghana is a collaborative effort between the government of Ghana and the World Bank, was developed to assist the ministry of health to obtain an overview of the unique human resources for health (HRH) challenges that Ghana faces. Evidence on the stock, distribution, and performance of health workers in Ghana, as well as on some of the underlying determinants of these HRH outcomes, will help support the government resolve to develop strategies and interventions to address HRH concerns and ultimately strengthen its health system. The content of this book was developed, discussed, and validated by means of extensive consultations with the technical working group on (HRH) in Ghana. This book contents totally eight chapters: chapter one covers toward evidence-based interventions for HRH; chapter two covers the stock of health workers; chapter three covers the distribution of health workers; chapter four covers the performance of health workers; chapter five covers Ghana Agencies and their roles and responsibilities in HRH; chapter six covers interventions to increase stock and improve distribution and performance of HRH; chapter seven covers financing available for policy and interventions; and chapter eights covers the political economy of crafting policy.
  • Publication
    Angola Nutrition Gap Analysis
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2011-12) McDonald, Christine; Hyder, Ziauddin; Albino Cossa, Humberto
    Despite remarkable economic growth in the past decade, undernutrition remains a serious public health problem in Angola. High rates of child stunting and micronutrient deficiencies are contributing to an under-five mortality rate of 161 deaths per 1,000 live births, limiting the growth and development of children, hindering productivity, and preventing the country from reaching millennium development goals one and four. In response to this situation, the objectives of this report are to: a) synthesize available information on the nutrition situation in Angola; b) discuss the three main determinants of undernutrition using the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) conceptual framework; c) summarize existing nutrition policies and programs in the country; and d) propose next steps for action. Nutrition policy agenda is slowly gaining momentum in the country. The national food security and nutrition strategy released in 2009 include nutrition actions for children under five. The national nutrition policy is in the process of being finalized. High priority problems include the dearth of up-to-date, reliable, and comprehensive information on the nutrition situation in the country, severe shortages of trained nutritionists, and an exclusion of nutrition from community-based health activities. The following recommendations are proposed as next steps: 1) incorporate the collection of nutrition data into routine, planned surveys; 2) finalize the national nutrition policy, conduct a rigorous gap analysis, and develop a costed implementation plan to effectively scale-up nutrition activities in the country; 3) enhance capacity building efforts in the field of nutrition; 4) improve nutrition surveillance and screening activities and; 5) incorporate nutrition into community-based activities.
  • Publication
    Universal Health Coverage for Inclusive and Sustainable Development : Country Summary Report for Peru
    (World Bank Group, Washington, DC, 2014-09) Medici, Andre C.; Vermeersch, Christel; Narvaez, Rory
    Peru is an upper middle-income country that has experienced fast economic growth (average of 6.9 percent per year from 2004 to 2013, according World Developing Indicators, WDI) combined with a reduction in poverty and inequality over the past decade. Economic growth was led by exports and domestic demand, generating an increase in private investment, attracting foreign capital, and strengthening public finances. The population living in poverty and extreme poverty fell from 58.7 percent and 16.4 percent in 2004 to 25.8 percent and 6 percent in 2012, respectively (INEI 2014a). Inequality has also decreased, with the Gini index declining from 0.503 in 2004 to 0.48.1 in 2010 (WDI).

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21) Luna-Bazaldua, Diego; Levin, Victoria; Liberman, Julia; Gala, Priyal Mukesh
    This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.
  • Publication
    Argentina Country Climate and Development Report
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11) World Bank Group
    The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.
  • Publication
    World Development Report 1994
    (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994) World Bank
    World Development Report 1994, the seventeenth in this annual series, examines the link between infrastructure and development and explores ways in which developing countries can improve both the provision and the quality of infrastructure services. In recent decades, developing countries have made substantial investments in infrastructure, achieving dramatic gains for households and producers by expanding their access to services such as safe water, sanitation, electric power, telecommunications, and transport. Even more infrastructure investment and expansion are needed in order to extend the reach of services - especially to people living in rural areas and to the poor. But as this report shows, the quantity of investment cannot be the exclusive focus of policy. Improving the quality of infrastructure service also is vital. Both quantity and quality improvements are essential to modernize and diversify production, help countries compete internationally, and accommodate rapid urbanization. The report identifies the basic cause of poor past performance as inadequate institutional incentives for improving the provision of infrastructure. To promote more efficient and responsive service delivery, incentives need to be changed through commercial management, competition, and user involvement. Several trends are helping to improve the performance of infrastructure. First, innovation in technology and in the regulatory management of markets makes more diversity possible in the supply of services. Second, an evaluation of the role of government is leading to a shift from direct government provision of services to increasing private sector provision and recent experience in many countries with public-private partnerships is highlighting new ways to increase efficiency and expand services. Third, increased concern about social and environmental sustainability has heightened public interest in infrastructure design and performance. This report includes the World Development Indicators, which offer selected social and economic statistics for 132 countries.
  • Publication
    World Development Report 1987
    (New York: Oxford University Press, 1987) World Bank
    This report, consisting of two parts, is the tenth in the annual series assessing development issues. Part I reviews recent trends in the world economy and their implications for the future prospects of developing countries. It stresses that better economic performance is possible in both industrial and developing countries, provided the commitment to economic policy reforms is maintained and reinforced. In regard to the external debt issues, the report argues for strengthened cooperation among industrial countries in the sphere of macroeconomic policy to promote smooth adjustment to the imbalances caused by external payments (in developing countries). Part II reviews and evaluates the varied experience with government policies in support of industrialization. Emphasis is placed on policies which affect both the efficiency and sustainability of industrial transformation, especially in the sphere of foreign trade. The report finds that developing countries which followed policies that promoted the integration of their industrial sector into the international economy through trade have fared better than those which insulated themselves from international competition.
  • Publication
    Europe and Central Asia Economic Update, Fall 2024: Better Education for Stronger Growth
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-17) Izvorski, Ivailo; Kasyanenko, Sergiy; Lokshin, Michael M.; Torre, Iván
    Economic growth in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) is likely to moderate from 3.5 percent in 2023 to 3.3 percent this year. This is significantly weaker than the 4.1 percent average growth in 2000-19. Growth this year is driven by expansionary fiscal policies and strong private consumption. External demand is less favorable because of weak economic expansion in major trading partners, like the European Union. Growth is likely to slow further in 2025, mostly because of the easing of expansion in the Russian Federation and Turkiye. This Europe and Central Asia Economic Update calls for a major overhaul of education systems across the region, particularly higher education, to unleash the talent needed to reinvigorate growth and boost convergence with high-income countries. Universities in the region suffer from poor management, outdated curricula, and inadequate funding and infrastructure. A mismatch between graduates' skills and the skills employers are seeking leads to wasted potential and contributes to the region's brain drain. Reversing the decline in the quality of education will require prioritizing improvements in teacher training, updated curricula, and investment in educational infrastructure. In higher education, reforms are needed to consolidate university systems, integrate them with research centers, and provide reskilling opportunities for adult workers.