By Olivier Monnier and Abdoul Maiga
Tired of seeing plastic waste littering the streets of Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, engineer Calvin Tiam took matters into his own hands.
With the help of Burkinabé and French research institutes, Tiam developed a technique for making furniture, roofing, and beacons from recycled polyethylene plastic packaging.
These are certainly challenging times. And in these challenging times, in Africa, the private 
sector is doing interesting things.
The nine stories in this second edition of IFC Insights Africa, published for the 2023 Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, showcase the innovative ways African businesses—both large and small—are addressing some of the continent’s most pressing challenges, and improving lives and creating jobs while doing it.
Ministers of Finance and global thought leaders came together to champion investments in people to build resilience, help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and accelerate the green transition.
The deterioration of economic conditions over the past few years and the growing
depreciation pressures facing developing countries have led to a rise in the number of countries with active parallel currency markets. Currently, around 24 emerging and developing economies (EMDEs) have active parallel currency markets. In at least 14 of them, the exchange rate premium—the difference between the official and the parallel rate—is a material problem, exceeding 10 percent (see the table).
It feels like a lifetime ago, but somehow also like it was yesterday, that the COVID-19 crisis
descended upon our lives. It caused unimaginable upheaval—reversing gains and creating colossal new demands. As well-resourced countries worked quickly to protect their people, the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) stepped up to ensure the poorest people were not left behind in this race to recovery.
WASHINGTON, May 3, 2023 – The Executive Directors of the World Bank today selected Ajay Banga as President of the World Bank for a five-year term beginning June 2, 2023.
In his speech, “Growth and Stability During Crises,” World Bank Group President David Malpass discussed the challenges facing development policy, including the need for macroeconomic stability, the importance of private capital to international integration, and the increasing need to support global public goods. President Malpass emphasized the role of education in supporting growth and creating pathways out of fragility and extremism, which are both critical for Africa’s Sahel Region.
The live-streamed speech was hosted by the Abdou Moumouni University of Niamey, Niger.
June 21st, 11:30 AM EDT (local time) –> LINK
Join World Bank Group President David Malpass, and USAID Administrator Samantha Power at 11.30am, June 21st for a conversation about the impact of the current overlapping global crises on the poorest and most vulnerable.
How should the international community respond to challenges including the war in Ukraine, rising food insecurity and higher inflation?
The Way Forward is an occasional series of in-depth discussions on development challenges and innovative solutions, hosted by World Bank Group President, David Malpass.
On May 26th 2022, World Bank Group’s President, David Malpass, and Masood Ahmed, President of the Center for Global Development, will hold a conversation about the array of global shocks, their impact on the most vulnerable communities—and the response they urgently demand.
From conflict to COVID to climate change, overlapping crises have created unprecedented challenges for developing countries. Debt vulnerabilities, rising inflation, higher energy prices and food insecurity are threatening to reverse development gains. These growing challenges require decisive policy action and sustained international cooperation on multiple fronts to ensure economic conditions improve in all countries, especially the poorest. David Malpass and Masood Ahmed will exchange views on macroeconomic and political instability; and what is required for economic transformation.
The Way Forward is an occasional series of in-depth discussions on development challenges and innovative solutions, hosted by World Bank Group David Malpass.
May 26th, 10:00 AM EDT (local time)
Netherlands for the World Bank 
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