Africa will account for 80 percent of the projected 4 billion increase in the global population by 2100. The accompanying increase in its working age population creates a window of opportunity, which if properly harnessed, can translate into higher growth and yield a demographic dividend. We...

This paper investigates the channels through which remittances affect macroeconomic volatility in African countries using a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model augmented with financial frictions. Empirical results indicate that remittances - as a share of GDP - have a significant...

This study-which includes a pilot intervention in Kenya-aims to further the state of knowledge about the emerging trend of disruptive agricultural technologies (DATs) in Africa, with a focus on supply-side dynamics. The first part of the study is a stocktaking analysis to assess the number,...

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, remarked that the past-quarter century has to count as the most successful 25 years in history in the fight against poverty. The one region that has so far been conspicuously left behind by that progress is Sub-Saharan Africa. The people of Africa are...

The 2020 Africa Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) report covers the period from January to December 2019. The addition of Somalia brought the number of the region's International Development Association (IDA)-eligible countries to 39. The overall CPIA score for the region's 39...

This report aims to present the rationale for digitization of agribusiness payments in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), assess the current status of digitization using demand and supply-side data, and identify key actions that can help accelerate digitization. The report draws on an analysis of...

This report aims to present the rationale for digitization of agribusiness payments in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), assess the current status of digitization using demand and supply-side data, and identify key actions that can help accelerate digitization. The report draws on an analysis of...

Trade and participation in global value chains can play a key role in economic diversification and development. This paper deepens the discussion about productivity growth and upgrading in agriculture in Africa, and the role of national, regional, and international value chains in supporting...

There is frequent public and media concern over the cost of bloated cabinets in many Sub-Saharan African countries. Scholarship on elite clientelism links cabinet positions with corruption and practices that undermine sound policy making. This paper presents new data on the number of ministers...