Tag Archives: World Bank

Can AI give small scale producers the right advice?

Posted on by

The World Bank has long recognized the critical importance of agricultural extension services – ranging from training and data to technology transfer – which make up the second-largest share of its agriculture portfolio.  Yet farmers have often been slow to adopt the very methods and tools these services are designed to deliver—limiting their own productivity and the sector’s potential to create jobs.

That’s in large part because they depend on limited numbers of extension agents: the field advisors responsible for providing them with data, training and advice. Most countries have just one extension agent for every 1,000 to 2,000 farmers.

Continue reading →

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

Posted on by

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 →

The Global Sanitation Crisis: Pathways for Urgent Action

Posted on by

The Global Sanitation Crisis: Pathways for Urgent Action report examines the risks that poor sanitation poses to people, economic growth, and the environment. It outlines practical steps that cities and countries can take to accelerate progress toward universal access to resilient, safely managed sanitation—promoting healthy communities, sustainable environments and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, thriving economies, resilient cities, job creation, and greater human productivity.

Download Report | Overview

Continue reading →

Delivering Jobs for People Living in Poverty

Posted on by

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 →

New World Bank Operation Links Fiscal Sustainability and Forest Conservation in Amazonas

Posted on by

WASHINGTON, DC, August 28, 2025 – The World Bank Board of Directors has approved a new operation to boost the environmental governance of the State of Amazonas by enhancing its fiscal sustainability, and mobilizing finance for forest conservation and a low-carbon bioeconomy. This will provide more economic opportunities and jobs for the State’s population, especially Indigenous Peoples, smallholders, and traditional forest-dwelling populations.

Continue reading →

In Ethiopia, Reviving Soil and Improving Farming Livelihoods

Posted on by

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Smallholder farmers have been taught to restore soil health by learning sustainable farming practices like vermicomposting and integrated pest management.
  • The adoption of these techniques has led to increases in maize yields for individual farmers, improving their family’s food security and financial situation and contributing to broader community resilience.
  • The Ethiopia Food Systems Resilience Program has so far reached over 1.2 million farmers with an even broader range of interventions.
Continue reading →

World Bank Reenters the Canadian Dollar Bond Market with a CAD 1.5 billion Benchmark Bond

Posted on by

WASHINGTON, D.C. August 21, 2025 – The World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IBRD, Aaa/AAA) today priced a new 3-year CAD $1.5 billion Sustainable Development Bond that matures in September 2028.

The 3-year benchmark transaction pays a semi-annual coupon of 2.90% p.a. and has an issue price of 99.946% and a final spread of 9.8 bps over the CAN 3.25% September 2028 reference bond, offering investors a yield of 2.919% (semi-annual). Joint lead managers for this transaction are BMO Capital Markets, CIBC, National Bank Financial and Scotiabank.

Continue reading →

Pakistan: World Bank Announces New Education Project to Benefit Over Four Million Children in Punjab

Posted on by

WASHINGTON, August 23, 2025— The World Bank has approved a US$ 47.9 million grant, funded by the Global Partnership for Education Fund, to help improve girls’ and boys’ participation at pre-primary and primary levels in Pakistan’s Punjab province. The new support is expected to improve learning outcomes at the primary level and strengthen remedial learning support at the elementary level of schooling.

The “Getting Results: Access and Delivery of Quality Education Services and System Transformation in Punjab Project” will expand early childhood education, re-enroll out-of-school children, strengthen teacher support, and improve the education sector’s responsiveness to climate change and emergencies.

Continue reading →

Why Universal Health Coverage matters in West and Central Africa

Posted on by

As leaders from across African governments, the private sector, civil society, and international development partners gather this week in Japan for the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), it’s encouraging to see health taking a prominent place on the agenda. 

Continue reading →