Mary Banda in Zambia runs a small restaurant in one of Lusaka’s oldest markets. Before she learned that financial services could make the way she did business easier, her profits were low. But today, her profits have increased, both because she banks her money and because she uses mobile money transfer services.
Using financial services has simplified managing her business and increased profits. And business proceeds now pay her children’s school fees.
It is impossible these days to drive around the cities of Gabon without noticing the large billboards promoting internet access at rates that were unimaginable only a few years ago.
This is a wonderful development for Alphonse, a young, 34-year old public-sector professional. WhatsApp, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram are all applications that this ultra-connected young man uses on his telephone for both work and pleasure.
One of the encouraging signs that I pick up whenever I travel is the difference that technology is making to the lives of millions of marginalized people. In most cases it’s happening on a small, non-flashy scale in hundreds of different ways, quietly improving the opportunities that that have been denied to remote communities, women and young people for getting a foot on the ladder.
And because it is discreet and under the radar I dare as an optimist to suggest that we are at the beginning of something big – a slow tsunami of success. Let me give you some reasons why I believe this.
It is probably fair to say that the World Bank’s latest report on intergenerational mobility – Fair Progress? Economic Mobility across Generations around the World – is the first-ever attempt to paint a truly global picture of how achievement – or the lack thereof – is transmitted across generations. Though there are results for income mobility for a subset of countries, most of the analysis focuses on educational attainment across 148 economies, representing over 95% of the world’s population.
Deadline: 18-Jul-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)
The envisaged scope of work will involve four tasks, as follows: (i) Grid integration analysis including an identification of substations that can accommodate solar and/or wind capacity without major upgrades, and those that would require major transmission and/or substation upgrades to allow the addition of VRE capacity; (ii) Assessment and ranking of renewable energy zones using the MapRE tool and utilization the best available data on solar and wind resource potential, transmission lines, elevation, land use, protected and sensitive areas, settlements, and other relevant data; and combining of this data with the results from the grid integration analysis; (iii) More detailed identification of potential sites for solar parks, using the results from the prior work to carry out a land availability analysis that investigates land ownership and other issues in a 10km radius around high ranking substations; (iv) Development of a solar park strategy, based on lessons learned from Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park, international experiences, discussions with key public sector agencies, and consultations with private sector developers.
Deadline: 09-Jul-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)
The objective of the technical assistance (TA) is to increase the capacity and knowledge of a selected LGU (1 province) in dealing with climate/disaster risks faced by local transport infrastructure and pilot an institutionalized coordination process with the national agencies to better inform local roads planning, using a learning-by-doing approach. Based on this activity, technical notes/guidelines will be prepared for the ongoing provincial roads program to benefit all participating LGUs. LGUs are the implementing units under the provincial roads program, and hence increasing their technical capacity in dealing with climate resilience for local roads will improve the performance and development impact of the provincial roads program.
Access to clean drinking water and sanitation can improve children’s health,
reduce waterborne disease, and lower the risk of stunting. , which can help people escape poverty. A paved road can lead to a world of possibilities for small business owners, increasing access to additional markets and suppliers, as well as opportunities to grow their businesses.
The urban infrastructure finance gap
Cities already account for approximately 70-80 percent of the world’s economic growth, and this will only increase as cities continue to grow.
The application for the 2019 Selection Process for the Young Professionals Program will be open from June 14 to July 31, 2018 (midnight EST).
The Young Professionals Program (YPP) is a starting point for an exciting career at the World Bank Group.
It is a unique opportunity for younger talent who have both a passion for international development and the leadership potential to grow in fascinating top technical and managerial roles in the World Bank Group (WBG). The program is designed for highly qualified and motivated individuals skilled in areas relevant to WBG technical/operations such as economics, finance, education, public health, social sciences, engineering, urban planning, agriculture, natural resources and others.
WASHINGTON, June 18, 2018 – When countries rebuild stronger, faster and more inclusively after natural disasters they can reduce the impact on people’s livelihoods and well-being by as much as 31 percent, potentially cutting global average losses from $555 billion to $382 billion per year. That’s the conclusion of a new report from the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), released today.
The report, Building Back Better: Achieving resilience through stronger, faster and more inclusive post-disaster reconstruction, assesses socioeconomic resilience and the impact of disasters on people’s well-being. It covers 149 countries, including 17 small island states, representing 95.5 percent of the world’s population.
Netherlands for the World Bank 
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