MAPUTO, May 28, 2014 – The World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region, Mr. Makhtar Diop, will visit Mozambique from May 28-29 to take part in a high-level conference hosted by the Government of Mozambique and the International Monetary Fund: The Africa Rising Conference.
The event will bring together policy makers from Africa and beyond, the private sector, civil society, and academics, and will take stock of Africa’s strong economic performance, its increased resilience to shocks, and the key ongoing economic policy challenges, with the goal of sustaining the current growth and sharing its benefits among African populations.
“Africa’s economic growth has been more than impressive, and Mozambique is among the countries registering the fastest growth rate, averaging over 6 percent in the past decade,” said Makhtar Diop, World Bank Regional Vice-President for Africa. “Despite such an impressive economic trajectory, great challenges remain in the continent. Africa needs to harness the dividends of its economic growth to benefit its population through improved delivery of services and economic inclusion. In addition, the continent still faces challenges stemming from political instability, and others related to climate change and demographic developments.”
Mr. Diop will participate as a panelist to a session on opportunities and challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa, to be held on May 29th, which will precisely discuss the continent’s way forward in tackling its challenges of reducing poverty in a context of high growth, while boosting job creation and accelerating structural transformation in the context of pervasive informality and the predominantly rural nature of poverty. The session will also dwell on fragile states, and challenges related to climate change.
The World Bank’s strategy for Africa is being implemented by leveraging partnerships, knowledge and Bank’s Group financing instruments. The Bank’s Africa region has strategic bilateral partnerships with African countries; it is working with key regional and sub-regional organizations and financial institutions, including the African Union, the African Development Bank, and NEPAD, and has developed strong partnerships with the private sector, think thanks, parliamentarians and African civil society.
The Bank also collaborates with a wider range of partners at the national, regional, and global levels, stepping back where others have comparative advantage and leading where the Bank is well placed to do so. Mobilizing partners to deepen and accelerate support for Africa is a top priority and requires closer partnerships with emerging development actors, including Brazil, China and India, as well as global funds, Arab funds, and private foundations.
