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 images 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.

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eC2: LIGHTING AFRICA/TANZANIA – MARKET RESEARCH ON STAND ALONE SOLAR PRODUCTIVE USES IN TANZANIA

energyDeadline: 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.

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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.) port-614543_640

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.

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eC2: Zambia – Preparation of a Least Cost Geospatial Electrification Plan for Grid and Off-Grid Rollout

imagesDeadline:  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.

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Conversations with Chatbots: Exploring AI’s Potential for Development

untitled-4Development 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.

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eC2: Variable Renewable Energy Integration and Deployment

Deadline:  22-Feb-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) Renewable-energy

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.

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Strong thirsts in fragile countries: walking the water scarce path of refugees

syrian-refugee-kid-water-pointImagine 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.

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Endline Survey for the Impact Evaluation of Overcoming Barriers to Adoption of Sanitation for the Poor Households in the Philippines

Deadline: 20-Feb-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) water

Objective: The endline survey will be implemented in approximately 15 pre-selected households per barangay (village) across 272 barangays (total of 4,080 households) to collect post-intervention data from 17 selected municipalities in the 5 provinces of Negros Oriental, Cebu, Bohol (Region 7), Leyte and Eastern Samar (Region 8). The endline survey will focus on collecting basic information from households in order to test for balance between treatment and control groups and to understand financial behaviors and practices of participating households. Anticipated modules include: (i) household roster and demographics; (ii) assets, income and labor force participation; (iii) dwelling characteristics; (iv) water sources and drinking water; (v) latrine and sanitation facilities; (vi) program exposure and knowledge of sanitation practices; (vii) credit and savings; (viii) access to finance; (ix) children (under 5) health section and (x) risk aversion behavior. Other key stakeholders of the project will also be interviewed. This includes the participating local government units, regional DSWD staff, and partner MFI and masons.

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Using technology to promote youth employment: How to develop digital solutions

untitled.pngHow and when can we use technology to design and implement youth employment programs? We should ask ourselves whether investing in digital solutions is worth the time and money before deciding to include a digital component in our projects, because as much as technology can be transformative and help provide solutions, it is both expensive and time-consuming. Furthermore, we need to make sure we fully understand the problem that we are trying to solve.

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eC2:Independent Evaluation of the TerrAfrica Global Partnership Program for Sustainable Land Management in Sub-Saharan Africa TerrAfrica Leveraging Fund (TLF)

Deadline: 15-Feb-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.) pexels-photo-136721.jpeg

Objective: This third TerrAfrica evaluation is being undertaken following the decision of the November 2017 TAEC in Bonn, which called for a final evaluation of TerrAfrica and the TLF as necessary step before considering further action. The objective of this independent evaluation is to assess the contributions of TLF funded activities specifically, and the TerrAfrica Global Partnership Program in general, to the achievement of the partnerships objectives at the national and regional levels (see attached TORs).

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