While the share of poor people in Sub-Saharan Africa decreased from 56 percent in 1990 to 43 percent in 2012, the region’s rapid population growth outpaced the decrease in 
poverty, resulting in higher number of poor people than before. More specifically, Africa’s urban population is expected to triple in size in the next half century, which is putting pressure on scarce resources in cities, exacerbated by capacity, budget and governance bottlenecks. The densely-populated areas with low levels of water and sanitation services pose a serious threat to public health – cholera epidemics have broken out in urban areas in several African countries in recent years.
Category Archives: WBG News & Reports
How to foster a more inclusive environment for SMEs in PPPs?
Have you ever walked around a megastore, lost in the aisles of choices, only to go home 
without the one item you set out for? Conversely, have you ever wandered into a much smaller “mom and pop” shop and found everything you need?
Many reasons compel us to support small and medium businesses: tailored knowledge, personalized service, and the satisfaction of contributing directly to the local economy.
Continue reading
Newsletter September 2017: Cooperation, the Key to Success
We are excited to bring you the “after the Summer holiday special” September edition of the NL4WorldBank newsletter, 
Cooperation, the Key to Success which was published the 6th.
Future-Proofing Resilient PPPs
“Hurricane Harvey Has Knocked Out 25 Percent of Gulf Gas Production” – GIZMODO
“This storm has already left hundreds of thousands without power along the Texas coast. And there are reports of significant damage to buildings in Rockport, Texas, near where the storm made landfall Friday night. At a press conference Saturday afternoon, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said it may be ‘several days before outages can be addressed’ due to continued high winds.” – VOX
Can agriculture create job opportunities for youth?
Technology and the internet are probably the first things that come to mind when you 
think about the future of work for young people; not agriculture or farming. This makes historic sense, as agriculture sheds labor when countries develop. And the traditional ways of producing food do not look particularly sexy. Yet, technology and the internet are also opening up opportunities for agriculture, and urbanization and changing diets are calling for new ways to process, market and consume our foods. So, can agriculture provide job opportunities for youth?
Educating Girls, Ending Child Marriage
Every day, 41,000 girls marry before they are 18 years old. That’s 15 million girls every year. While child marriage can happen to both boys and girls, in most places around the world, the practice mostly affects girls.
Girls like Nafissa* (not her real name), from Niger.
“I stopped (going to) school in order to marry,” says the young teen, “It was because of people’s mentality and their prejudices. I was married during a school break and, before I could return, I became pregnant. After that, I never returned.”
Millions Around the World Held Back by Poor Sanitation and Lack of Access to Clean Water
New World Bank research from 18 countries shows urgent action on water and sanitation is key to tackle poverty
STOCKHOLM, August 28, 2017– Reaching the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of 
access to safely managed water and sanitation services by 2030 will require countries to spend $150 billion per year. A fourfold increase in water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) investments compared to what is spent today, this is out of reach for many countries, threatening progress on poverty eradication.
A World Bank report launched today at World Water Week titled Reducing Inequalities in Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene in the Era of the Sustainable Development Goals suggests that a drastic change is required in the way countries manage resources and provide key services, starting with better targeting to ensure they reach those most in need, and tackling inefficiencies to make sure public services are sustainable and effective.
Success story: Ecofys supports World Bank Group to navigate the energy and climate transition
Over the past 15 years, the World Bank Groups’ Community Development Carbon Fund (CDCF) has contributed to reducing over 4 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and created community co-benefits aligned with sustainable development goals (SDGs) for approximately 17.5 million people. Ecofys, a Navigant company and headquartered in Utrecht, The Netherlands, has supported the Bank’s efforts and recently presented a retrospective that illustrates the impressive results of the World Bank Groups work.
World Bank Mobilizes US$200 Million to Combat Cholera in Yemen
WASHINGTON, August 25, 2017 – The World Bank announced today an emergency
US$200 million grant to support Yemen as it struggles to contain one of the world’s largest cholera outbreaks. This will strengthen the country’s health, water and sanitation systems, addressing the source of the epidemic and improving systems to prevent future outbreaks.
The integrated support package financed by the new grant will include the training of 7,500 health workers, strengthening the local capacity to treat and manage cholera cases, provision of bulk chlorination of water supplies, rehabilitation of critical wastewater treatment plants, supporting mass communication and social mobilization campaigns, and supporting one the largest ever cholera vaccine campaigns aiming to reach millions of Yemenis. Continue reading
NL & World Bank Events, Fall 2017
Welcome back from vacation! We have been gearing up for a busy next couple of months 
with the Annual Meetings just around the corner as well as a couple of World Bank Group & Netherlands collaboration mission/events on the way. We understand that getting back into the swing of things after a vacation filled August can be tough…that is why we have compiled all the events relevant to and with involvement of the Netherlands below. Contact us if you are interested or plan on attending any of the events.
Netherlands for the World Bank 
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