We take great pleasure in presenting the noteworthy highlights from the World Bank’s regional consultation, held in Abidjan on July 11, 2022. This meeting of pivotal significance brought together official representatives and dedicated civil society members from over 15 distinct countries.
The central purpose of this meeting was to elucidate the new mission and objectives of The World Bank, as defined in the Evolution Roadmap.
In his keynote speech, Mr. Ousmane Diagana, the Vice President for the West and Central Africa region, underscored Côte d’Ivoire’s vital role in the UEMOA zone’s socio-economic development. He further stressed the importance of civil societies’ engagement in sustainable development endeavors, a fact that has gained increasing significance in the current era marked by polycrisis.
Ms. Anna Bjerde, the World Bank’s Director of Operations, brought a challenging yet indispensable reality to the fore: we remain distant from achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Africa is among the hardest-hit continents. Regional development in West and Central Africa carries profound implications, spanning security matters, climate change-induced challenges, including erosion, and specific problems in the Sahel.
In recent years, the World Bank has affirmed its crucial role in the battle against poverty in West Africa. From April 2020 to June 2022, it deployed more than 28 billion dollars in 234 projects, primarily aimed at nations grappling with fragility, conflict, and violence.
However, the swift pace of global transformations necessitates a revamp of the World Bank Group’s mission, vision, and operational and financial blueprint. Henceforth, the organization’s focus will be on resilience, sustainability, and poverty alleviation, with prime importance given to salient challenges such as climate change, food security, energy, and education, whilst synergizing these global issues with the local priorities of each region.
In this landscape, civil society’s role is indispensable, especially in ensuring the ‘last mile’, that is, guaranteeing that the initiatives undertaken indeed reach the most isolated and vulnerable populations.
For an in-depth understanding, we invite you to review the full session of the event here.
The journey towards sustainable development in Africa and effective combat against poverty necessitates unwavering commitment and collaborative engagement from all stakeholders – encompassing international institutions, local governments, non-governmental organizations, and civil society. Through the concerted efforts of all involved, we can bring about a substantial and enduring impact on the lives of African communities.