In a conflict-affected and newly independent country like South Sudan, rebuilding public sector capacity is an important aspect of state building, both in the short and in the medium to long term. If capacity strengthening is not pursued or is ineffective, government functionality remains patchy...

Economic activity in Kenya remained robust in 2016. For the third consecutive year economic activity in Kenya picked-up, reaching an estimated 5-year high of 5.9 percent in 2016, once again placing Kenya among the fastest growing economies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Kenya's growth momentum in 2016...

This Multisectoral Nutrition Assessment assessed the nutrition situation amongst residents of the estate sector, identified the main causes of nutritional deficiencies, as well as gaps in the provision of key nutrition-related services. The findings and recommendations can be used to inform...

This research focuses on incorporating a representation of water supply and infrastructure costs into an energy systems model (SATIM-W) to better reflect the interdependent nature of the energy-water nexus in South Africa and the water supply challenges facing the energy system. The research...

Suriname is a small economy driven by its abundant natural resources. As the commodity boom ended in recent years, however, the economy began to contract, reflecting Suriname’s dependence on the extractives sector. The Government of Suriname redistributes revenue earned from gold, oil, and...

Agriculture occupies a key position in the Kazakhstan economy. Although accounting for only 5 percent of GDP, agriculture continues to employ almost one third of the population. Studies of agriculture in Kazakhstan confirm significant un-tapped productive and export potential for the sector....

Montenegro and the World Bank Group (WBG) have jointly prepared a robust program of cooperation for the next four years. In the past 18 months, the World Bank Group has prepared the Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) for Montenegro, a comprehensive analytic report outlining challenges and...

Since its independence in 1991 and until prior to the global financial crisis (GFC) in 2008-09, Armenia was considered an important success story among the transition economies. Indeed, over several years, the country displayed a record of sustained macroeconomic achievements, reflected in high...

This Regional Partnership Framework (RPF) outlines the World Bank Group (WBG) strategic program for nine Pacific island countries (PIC9): Kiribati, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Republic of Nauru, Republic of Palau, Independent State of Samoa,...

Fiji is a small island nation in the South Pacific Ocean with population of 870,000.Nevertheless, Fiji has one of the most sophisticated economies among the Pacific Islands. The economy is the second largest in the Pacific after Papua New Guinea, and it is the most industrially advanced, with...