The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
This report advances usable knowledge on how climate change and conflict interact in the region. Its findings contribute to a growing body of research examining the links between climate change and conflict outcomes. Its objective is twofold: first, to strengthen the evidence base on the relationship between climate change and …
By the end of 2022, global renewable generation capacity amounted to 3372 Gigawatt (GW), growing the stock of renewable power by a record of 295 GW or by 9.6 per cent. An impressive 83 per cent of all power capacity added last year was produced by renewables. Renewable Capacity Statistics …
Access to energy is defined in many ways, but most definitions include having reliable and affordable access to both cooking facilities and electricity that can be scaled up over time. Access to a reliable and quality energy supply is vital to the economic development of any country (Bhatia and Angelou, …
This report is WFP’s flagship publication and the main reporting mechanism of the School Meals Coalition. It provides an overview on how countries support their children through effective school feeding programmes. The State of School Feeding worldwide publication is issued every two years and uses the best available data sources …
Climate change threatens sustainable development in Africa, particularly among poor and highly vulnerable countries which have contributed least to greenhouse gas emissions. The African Development Bank Group (hereafter the “Bank” or “AfDB”) has had a longstanding commitment to action on climate change and green growth, to ensure that development across …
190 million children in 10 African countries are at the highest risk from a convergence of three water-related threats – inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH); related diseases; and climate hazards – according to this new UNICEF analysis. The triple threat was found to be most acute in Benin, Burkina …
This book evaluates African healthcare systems from multiple perspectives. By examining empirical data from various African countries, it analyzes the effects of socioeconomic factors such as urbanization, population growth, and education on various health indicators, including the situation of health professionals, patient's decision making, health resource distribution, mortality rates, and …
In 2022, the Emergency Event Database EM-DAT recorded 387 natural hazards and disasters worldwide, resulting in the loss of 30,704 lives and affecting 185 million individuals. Economic losses totaled around US$ 223.8 billion. Heat waves caused over 16,000 excess deaths in Europe, while droughts affected 88.9 million people in Africa. …
In February 2023, Stock Market indicators from selected African markets, showed mixed trends on monthly and annual basis. On annual basis, stock market indices in Egypt, Nigeria, Tunisia and South Africa improved by respective rates of 52.6 percent, 17.7 percent, 13.6 percent and 2.2 percent in February 2023 compared to …
To enhance health co-benefits across urban policies which tackle air pollution and climate change, WHO, in cooperation with various international, national, and local partners, implemented the Urban Health Initiative (UHI) pilot project in Accra, Ghana. The Initiative prompted the health sector to use its influential position to demonstrate to decision-makers …
Plastic waste negatively impacts ecosystems, public health, and local economies in Tanzania. For example, marine plastic and microplastic wastes contaminate beaches, sea grass areas and coral reef habitats, lower the quality of marine ecosystems and biodiversity, and endanger bird and marine wildlife through entanglement and the ingestion of plastics of …
Essential workers who kept families, societies and economies going while the world was on COVID lockdown, need better pay and conditions urgently, if countries are to future-proof themselves from the next global crisis, UN labour experts said in this report. At the end of March 2020, 80% of the world’s …
The Kingdom of Eswatini has identified the importance of engaging Indigenous and local communities and incorporating Traditional Knowledge into its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process. The Government of Eswatini led a national outreach program on its NAP process in 2022 that included engagement with communities in an exercise to collect …
India has dropped from fifth to eighth place in terms of the world’s most polluted countries in 2022. According to this World Air Quality Report 2022 by the IQAir, out of the 50 most polluted cities in the world, 39 are in India. The 2022 World Air Quality Report reviews …
This note summarizes the findings of the water supply and sanitation subsector review conducted through the lens of a public expenditure and institutional review. The review seeks to support the government in addressing the challenges impeding the sector’s performance by highlighting the reforms needed to expand the financing for achieving …
All African countries need better and more jobs for their growing populations. "Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs" shows that broader use of productivity-enhancing, digital technologies by enterprises and households is imperative to generate such jobs, including for lower-skilled people. At the same time, it can support not only countries’ …
"The Economics of Electric Vehicles for Passenger Transportation" provides answers to three critical questions: Why should developing countries pursue e-mobility? When does an accelerated transition to electric vehicles (EVs) make sense for developing countries? How can governments make this transition happen? A key finding from the research is that there …
The working paper highlights the initial cooperation challenges identified in the assessment undertaken by International Centre for Water Cooperation in 32 basins in Africa. This is the initiative’s first analysis of some of the key challenges of cooperation involving transboundary waters in Africa. Many countries are facing increasing challenges of …
The world is off track to meet its target of reducing salt intake by almost a third by 2025, costing thousands of lives, according to this new report by the World Health Organisation (WHO). A first-of-its-kind World Health Organization (WHO) Global report on sodium intake reduction shows that the world …
This third issue of the Mobility and Development periodical unpacks an exciting transport sector narrative through seven articles. The issue explores the challenge and outlook on transport decarbonization. The narrative then highlights how digitalization can play a key role in building resilience in global trade and supply chains. Focusing on …
