    
Southern Africa Roundtable on Making Finance Work for Africa Organized by the World Bank, BMZ, DFID, SIDA and USAID In partnership with the Bank of Zambia May 7-9, 2007 Livingstone, Zambia Strengthened by the reforms of recent years, African financial systems have begun to diversify their activities, deepen their lending and increase their reach with new products and technologies. Yet the region's financial sector still has a long way to go. In this context, the World Bank has conducted a regional study on “Making Finance Work for Africa,” which is available in summary form online, click here. The study emphasizes two key priorities for financial sector policy in Africa: growth and access. It suggests that reforms should aim: (i) to increase the availability and lower the cost of credit to productive enterprises; and (ii) to extend the reach of basic savings, payments, credit and insurance services for low income people and small enterprises. The World Bank is pleased to collaborate with the Bank of Zambia, as well as BMZ, DFID, SIDA and USAID, to disseminate this study and to promote further dialogue among southern Africa's financial sector policymakers about fitting these priorities into national development agendas. In this context, we are pleased to organize a Southern Africa Roundtable on Making Finance Work for Africa that will take place May 7-9, 2007 at the Zambezi Sun Hotel in Livingstone, Zambia. For this important dialogue, we are inviting governors and deputy governors of the central banks in southern Africa, leading policymakers, and other prominent stakeholders in the financial sector, along with World Bank staff and donor agencies. Organizing Committee: Samuel Munzele Maimbo, Senior Financial Sector Specialist, Africa Region World Bank Group Washington, DC 20433 Event Coordinator: Colleen Mascenik Financial and Private Sector Learning, World Bank Mail Stop F4K-408, 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433, USA Telephone: +1 202 473 7734, Fax: +1 202 522 3480 email: cmascenik@worldbank.org |
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