African leaders want the World Bank’s International Development Association to focus on job creation, energy and digital access, and building resilience. They also want it to be less complex.
IDA, the bank’s fund for the lowest-income countries, is asking donors for a new cycle of funding, and African heads of state gathered in Nairobi on Monday for a summit seen as a key milestone on the path to the official replenishment event at the end of the year.
Speaking at the summit, the continent’s leaders said they’d like IDA to focus on three priority areas: stronger human capital and the creation of good jobs, including through private investments; greater energy and digital access; and building resilience to climate and fragility. They also called for IDA to support policies that reinforce strong and inclusive growth, support debt management, and boost domestic and foreign investment.
About the author
Anthony Langat
Anthony Langat is a Kenya-based Devex Contributing Reporter whose work centers on environment, climate change, health, and security. He was part of an International Consortium of Investigative Journalism’s multi-award winning 2015 investigation which unearthed the World Bank’s complacence in the evictions of indigenous people across the world. He has five years’ experience in development and investigative reporting and has been published by Al Jazeera, Mongabay, Us News & World Report, Equal Times, News Deeply, Thomson Reuters Foundation, and Devex among others.
