Why bridging Africa’s skills gap is crucial for growth

Sub-Saharan Africa’s economic promise is clear. It has the world’s youngest and fastest-growing population; by 2050 a quarter of the world’s working-age population will be living in Africa, with vast natural resources, and expanding regional markets. Yet these strengths are undermined by a persistent weakness: the region’s skills gap. 

Continue reading

Digital technology is driving the future of jobs

A farmer in Kenya uses mobile apps to get real-time harvesting tips, check market prices, and connect directly with buyers and lenders. A woman in Indonesia takes meal orders and arranges deliveries through social media. A small innkeeper in Jamaica lists rooms on booking platforms and manages reservations online. A street vendor in Dakar sells handmade jewelry across Africa using just her smartphone. And in Manila, a university student teaches math to high schoolers in remote areas via an online e-learning platform. 

Continue reading

How an Urban Program in Ethiopia Delivered More than a Million Jobs

Highlights

  • With World Bank support, over 1.15 million jobs were created as a result of the Ethiopia Urban Institutional and Infrastructure Development Program (UIIDP).
  • Infrastructure investments in 117 cities helped improve living conditions for more than 6.6 million people, fueling employment and economic growth.
  • Strengthened local governance and financial systems enabled cities to plan, deliver, and sustain job-generating urban development, even amid conflict and pandemic disruptions.
Continue reading

Delivering Jobs for People Living in Poverty

Evidence from India, Niger, and Zambia shows lasting income gains and strong returns from economic inclusion programs— generating up to $3.8 in benefits for every $1 invested within 10 years.


Now more than ever, people need better access to jobs. In emerging markets, 1.2 billion young people will reach working age over the next decade—yet only 420 million jobs are projected to be created. That leaves hundreds of millions, many of them from poor and vulnerable communities, without a clear pathway to a stable income, dignity, and opportunity.

Continue reading

Education is a key to jobs, growth, and lifelong learning

Education is a foundation for good jobs and the surest way out of poverty. We know a good education equips learners with important foundational skills—literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional competencies—which are essential for work and life. These skills help today’s children become tomorrow’s productive workers and enable workers to reskill or upskill later in life.  

Continue reading

Robust Policies for Better Public Services in Africa: The 2025 Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) Report in 6 Charts

Since 2006, The World Bank’s annual Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) Report has been a guide for countries, policymakers, and investors, identifying key trends and best practices that support effective public service delivery and foster a more resilient and prosperous future for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The CPIA is an annual diagnostic tool for SSA countries eligible for financing from the International Development Association (IDA), the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s low-income countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve people’s lives. The CPIA Report aims to capture the quality of each country’s policies and institutional arrangements, focusing on the elements within the country’s control. The scores are designed to assess sustainable growth and poverty reduction. The CPIA provides scores for each country, and an overall regional score, on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 6 (highest) in four clusters: economic management, structural policies, social inclusion and equity policies, and public sector management and institutions. The scores inform governments of the impact of each country’s efforts to support inclusive growth and poverty reduction, and the overall score helps determine the size of the World Bank’s concessional lending and grants to low-income SSA countries. The report includes scores for IDA-eligible countries and acts as a touchstone for country monitoring and regional best practices.

Continue reading

Bangladesh: Bold, Urgent Reforms Can Accelerate Inclusive Growth, Create Jobs

DHAKA, July 16, 2025—The World Bank Vice President for South Asia, Johannes Zutt, concluded his first official visit to Bangladesh today, reaffirming the World Bank’s continued commitment to help the country address its development priorities and to support the people of Bangladesh.

Continue reading

Reforms to Boost Job Creation Could Help Transform the Philippines into a Middle-Class Society by 2040

MANILA, July 15, 2025 – Strategic reforms that enhance foundational investments in connectivity and human capital, promote smarter regulations and competition, and mobilize private investments for stronger job creation could propel the Philippines closer to a 7-percent growth trajectory, transforming it into a middle-class society by 2040.

Continue reading