The Office of the Chief Economist for the Africa Region provides guidance on Bank programs and activities in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, analysing both economic and sector programming to ensure the coherence of regional needs and Bank programming. The Office of the Chief Economist also provides analytical support to African countries on a wide range of issues to help promote sustainable growth and development. More on the Office of the Chief Economist

December 2007:  Africa Region Chief Economist's Best Practice Awards for 2007 Economic and Sector Work: The first of the annual Chief Economist's ESW awards took place on December 19, 2007.  Five outstanding pieces of economic and sector work of the region were selected by a committee of lead economists and specialist from the four sector units and the chief economist's office. The selection was based on these studies producing innovative cutting-edge findings, and having high potential of effective policy impacts to the clients. The award ceremony commenced with speeches made by Africa Region Vice President Obiageli Ezekwesili and former Chief Economist John Page. The awards were received by the task team leaders on behalf of the entire teams that worked on the selected five projects. The 2007 Africa Region Chief Economist's Best Practice Awards for Economic and Sector Work are:  At the Crossroads: Choices for Secondary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa;   Uganda: Beyond Recovery: Investment & Behavior Change For Growth;  Strategic Sectoral and Environmental Analysis for Regional Power Options in the Equatorial Lakes Region;  Making Finance Work for Africa;  Beating the Odds: Sustaining Inclusion in a Growing Economy: Poverty, Gender. and Social Assessment for Mozambique. 

November 2007: An AFRCE team led by Harry Broadman, comprised of Yutaka Yoshino and Gozde Isik visited Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to meet with various private sector firms to conduct business case study interviews to be included in the forthcoming "Africa Middle Income Growth Spillover" study.

October 2007: Chief Economist John Page was interviewed for a special feature broadcast on NPR's America Abroad Radio  program. The feature "Banking on the Future: Global Development and the World Bank" focuses on the the role of the World Bank today and the challenges it faces in it's fight against poverty.  To listen to John Page speak about the World Bank's work in Tanzania Click here .

Chief Economist John Page gave a presentation at the "Mobilizing Aid for Trade: Focus on Africa", conference that took place October 1-2, 2007, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. See Presentations and Conferences for detail. 

Economic Advisor Harry Broadman gave two presentations in Australia on "Africa's Silk Road". See Presentations and Conferences for detail.

Read more recent events.

Publications

November 2007: The World Bank Africa Development Indicators 2007 (ADI) released November 14, 2007 shows that Africa is achieving healthy and steady growth rates . The report is based on more than a thousand indicators covering economic, human and private-sector development, governance, environment, and aid. For more on the ADI 2007 click here.

November 2006: Africa's Silk Road: China and India's New Economic Frontier. This book, just launched by the World Bank, and written by Harry Broadman, Africa Region Economic Advisor, discusses how a recent, massive increase in African trade and investment by Asia’s two emerging economic giants—China and India—holds great potential for growth and job creation in Africa. This new economic frontier extends beyond trade and investment in natural resources, according to the new data presented in the book. However, the book also cautions that there are major asymmetries in the economic relations between the two regions. It is imperative that both sides of this promising economic relationship address asymmetries and obstacles to its continued expansion through reforms. The book recommends an array of trade and investment reforms within and between both regions to deepen the growing South-South ties and address imbalances that could prevent African economies to benefit from the increasingly important roles China and India play in the global economy. Read more:  Press release from the Annual Meetings, Story,  Book

May 2006: Chief Economist John Page gave the Keynote address at the World Bank/IFC-hosted Gender and Economics Training Workshop in Nairobi, Kenya.  This workshop brought together 60 participants - including many women entrepreneurs from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda - to examine theoretical and practical aspects of gender dimensions to growth and private sector development. The keynote address highlighted the challenges of shared growth in Africa, with particular emphasis on the important gender dimensions of growth.  Read more.

September, 2005: The  Africa Action Plan: this comprehensive strategy paper lays out the World Bank's proposed plan for facilitating results-based, country-led economic and social development across Africa, through a collaborative approach between donors and governments. Read more.

More publications...

 The Africa Catalytic Growth Fund (ACGF) was launched in March 2006 to provide rapid, targeted support to countries with credible programs to accelerate growth, poverty reduction, and attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The fund is designed to complement efforts by African leaders and Africa’s international partners to respond to the diversity of experience across the continent, using an innovative approach. More on ACGF