The objective of debt relief grant operation was to provide Cameroon the assistance required by IDA under the enhanced HIPC Debt Initiative upon Cameroon reaching the completion point, thus contributing to improving Cameroon's overall debt sustainability and supporting the government's...

There are often large regional differences in poverty and other social indicators within a country. But geographic poverty profiles based on household surveys tend to be limited to broad areas because survey sample sizes are too small to permit analysts to construct valid estimates of poverty at...

Several sub-Saharan African countries have succeeded at increasing their economic growth rate in recent years, and this has translated into substantial poverty reduction according to objective measures based on household survey data. At the same time, many people do not feel that the poverty...

In many sub-Saharan African countries household surveys are well designed to measure consumption and poverty as well as human development outcomes (especially in education and health) and access to basic infrastructure. But detailed information on the sources of income and the livelihoods of...

The note describes the major findings of the study "Engaging with adults", which reviews the international experience with adult basic education (ABE), with a focus on Africa. As a foundation for improved conditions of life, basic education serves not only the young, but adolescents and adults...

Attempts in Africa to use Export Processing Zones (EPZ) as an instrument for economic development, with the exception of Mauritius, have been less successful then in countries in East Asia, Central America, and the Caribbean basin. This paper examines the literature on Export Processing and Free...

The failure of many African universities to speak out and confront the HIV/AIDS crisis head-on leads to the unraveling of hard-won development gains and crippling prospects for future economic growth. The report, "Challenging the Challenger: Understanding and Expanding the Response of...

Sub-Saharan Africa's long-term growth performance will need to improve significantly for the region to visibly reduce poverty and raise the standard of living to an acceptable level. Appropriate actions will also be needed to ensure that an adequate share of the growing income is devoted to...

This study examines empirical information for major Sub-Saharan African countries and provides an analysis of whether recent trade and economic policy changes by some Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries enhanced their international competitiveness and improved their export performance....

About two years ago, an effort was launched to try and harmonize the World Bank's considerable experience with community participation in a number of African countries. This effort was initiated by a group of organizations including the Benin National Research Institute, the Benin National...