To be honest, I have never really been a fan of motorsport racing, but Formula E is something different. Regular sports car racing has always felt too loud, too polluting and a bit pointless, but electric car racing is changing my perception rapidly. The most recent Formula E race and associated FIA Smart Cities event in Santiago, Chile last week highlighted the importance of sustainable mobility and the advantages of advancing electric technology as quickly as possible. Extremely fast electric cars, whooshing by cheering audiences with a distinctly electric whizzing sound, made me realize that the future is definitely now.
Monthly Archives: February 2018
How do city leaders get things done? Learning from mayors in Japan
The task of mayors and city leaders is no longer limited to providing efficient urban services to their citizens. Job creation is at the forefront of the economic development challenge globally.
Cities need jobs and opportunities for their citizens and the means to generate tax revenues to fund projects that meet their populations’ growing demand for basic services. The WBG flagship report on Competitive Cities outlines how creating jobs in urban areas – urgently but also at scale– is essential.
eC2: Techemerge Health Brazil – consultancy services to support the promotion and implementation of the project.
Deadline: 19-Feb-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)
Objective: IFC is seeking a consulting firm to provide support in promoting the open call for applications and in supporting the implementation of field testing/demonstration projects. Specific responsibilities under this assignment include: 1) Promoting the TechEmerge Brazil Health program, including the Open Call for applications. 2) Managing and overseeing the implementation of the selected pilot projects to receive support and grant funding under the TechEmerge Brazil Health program. Includes collecting the required documentation for pilot project approval/kick-off, working with Innovators to receive monthly reporting, holding monthly progress update calls with Innovators and Providers, and conducting at least one onsite visit per pilot project. 3) Administering, monitoring and reporting on grant funding made to Brazilian healthcare providers, in line with approved allocations, to support the implementation of pilot projects.
Jobs at the Core of Development: Transforming Economies and Societies through Sustainable Employment
Economic growth has the power to transform societies, boost incomes, and enable 
citizens to thrive, but growth alone is not enough. To reduce poverty and ensure shared prosperity, growth that creates more, better, and inclusive jobs is needed. Good, inclusive jobs are the surest pathway out of poverty. In recent years, the World Bank has supported countries’ jobs agenda by helping to provide skills training to job seekers; to finance loans for micro and small enterprises; and to leverage financing in support of private-sector employment growth; among other interventions.
eC2: LIGHTING AFRICA/TANZANIA – MARKET RESEARCH ON STAND ALONE SOLAR PRODUCTIVE USES IN TANZANIA
Deadline: 27-Feb-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)
Objective: IFC seeks to hire the services of a firm (the Consultant) to conduct a market research on productive use opportunities in Tanzania, utilizing standalone solar photovoltaic products. The primary objective of the research to help to give informed decisions on the best approach to address the productive use opportunities and challenges as well as to inform the associates to the program of the existing opportunities for supplying the products and the market potential. For the purposes of this assignment, the working definition of a stand alone solar products productive use is the use of solar products ranging from solar pico products up to solar home systems that are 300 watts for income and welfare enhancing economic activities (such as fishing, agriculture, small enterprises, health and education) in rural Tanzania that is not currently connected to either a mini-grid or main grid.
eC2: An Evaluation of the Human Resource Needs, Training Needs, and Skill Development Needs of the Maritime Transport and Port Sector
Deadline: 08-Mar-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) 
Objective: The primary objective of the assignment has is to undertake an evaluation of the short/medium and long-term human resources, delineated by gender where possible, needs of the maritime transport sector in Tanzania, and prepare a time bound and costed business plan for each institution to meet those needs.
eC2: Zambia – Preparation of a Least Cost Geospatial Electrification Plan for Grid and Off-Grid Rollout
Deadline: 25-Feb-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)
Objective: In Zambia, the overall national electricity access rate, defined as connection to the grid, is low at 31 percent. While the overall access rate in Zambia has steadily increasing in past years, rural access has stagnated at 4 percent. The proposed Least Cost Geospatial Electrification Plan is designed to underpin the National Electrification Strategy and the National electrification Programmme in Zambia. It will establish a high resolution geospatial data system, long term electricity demand forecasts and algorithmic, least cost optimization of grid and off-grid electricity systems, including rollout plan with phased investments to scale-up electricity access rates. In addition, the plan will develop cost estimates of supply options such as grid, mini-grid, and standalone systems to reach remote areas. The World Bank, with support from the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), is seeking to hire a consulting firm (the Consultant) to assist GRZ in the preparation of its Least Cost Geospatial Electrification Plan for Grid and Off-Grid Rollout.
Conversations with Chatbots: Exploring AI’s Potential for Development
Development work is getting more technologically sophisticated by the day. The World Bank’s Information and Technology Solutions (ITS) department recently started an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Initiative. At the launch event, we explored the role of AI in development and what it might mean for the work that we do here at the Bank. In short: AI is already here, international organizations have an important role to play, and we need to invest in our skills and expertise.
eC2: Variable Renewable Energy Integration and Deployment
Deadline: 22-Feb-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) 
Objective: The assignment has five objectives: (i) Analyze the technical and commercial constraints present in the dispatch system through discussions with NTDC and CPPA, and recommend specific improvements that could be implemented to increase the flexibility in the grid of the future generation and by adapting the current utilization of the installed generators; (ii) Analyze the actual and forecasted electricity demand and planned generation to provide technical inputs to the least-cost planning; (iii) Support and train the planning team (NTDC) in running a thorough least-cost planning tool that can integrate the variability of solar, wind and hydro as well as price ancillary services; (iv) Identify and propose specific changes to the energy market to increase flexibility in the system and price ancillary services looking at Energy Purchase Agreements (EPA), grid code requirements and ancillary service market; and (v) Build the capacity of the Client agencies to continue and further build on the analysis following the completion of this assignment.
Strong thirsts in fragile countries: walking the water scarce path of refugees
Imagine that you must flee home at once. You may be fleeing violence, social tensions, poor environmental conditions, or even persecution. You and your loved ones may walk for several days to find safety, and may even go for periods without food.
What would you need to survive?
The answer is clean water. Finding drinkable water is one of the first steps in your journey to a new home. If you instead consume contaminated water, you risk exposure to several diseases. Drinking water unfit for consumption may not only harm your health in the short run — drinking unclean water may cause life-long health problems. And of course, these problems multiply if entire communities, or even cities, face these health problems.
Netherlands for the World Bank 
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