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The World Bank in Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa's economic growth is expected to slow to 2.5% in 2023 due to increased fragility and conflict – exacerbated by climate change – and persistent global economic uncertainty and a sluggish recovery in major trading partners.

Social Safety Nets

Boosting Opportunities

Social safety nets have spread across the continent over the last 25 years, benefiting some 100 million people.
Immersive Story

Restoring Dignity and Livelihoods in Madagascar’s Grand Sud
Immersive Story

Harvesting Hope: Small Farmers Take on Food Insecurity in West and Central Africa

Countries

Home At-A-Glance

Sub-Saharan Africa, home to more than 1 billion people, half of whom will be under 25 years old by 2050, is a diverse continent offering human and natural resources that have the potential to yield inclusive growth and wipe out poverty in the region, enabling Africans across the continent to live healthier and more prosperous lives. With the world’s largest free trade area and a 1.2 billion-person market...

Overview

Data

Project

Supporting Mozambique’s Internally Displaced Persons

This project aims to improve inclusive access to education and health services in 32 districts across the provinces, where more than 93% of all internally displaced persons live.

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FOCUS AREAS

Eastern & Southern Africa

This diverse region of 26 countries is home to about half a billion of Africa’s people.
Western & Central Africa

Helping the 22 countries of the sub-region deliver strong development outcomes.

Research

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Development Topics

Water in Eastern and Southern Africa

The number of people without access to water is growing in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only region of the world where this is happening. About 387 million people lived without access to basic drinking water services in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2020, up from 350 million people in 2000, according to a WHO/ UNICEF progress report.

By acting now and acting at scale, countries can accelerate #WaterAction, protect and improve lives, and reap economic rewards.

On International Women’s Day 2023, we steered our focus towards closing the digital gender divide in Eastern and Southern Africa. This focus aligned with the UN’s theme for the Day—“Digit4ALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”— and the priority theme for the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-67), “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.”

Blogs

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Experts

Victoria Kwakwa

Vice President, Eastern and Southern Africa

Ousmane Diagana

Vice President, Western and Central Africa

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News & Events

What's New

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Latest Events

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In Depth

Sep 13, 2023

CPIA Africa

The 2023 Africa Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) report covers the period January to December 2022. The overall average score for Sub-Saharan Africa’s IDA-eligible countries remained unchanged in 2022 ...
Oct 04, 2023

Africa’s Pulse

Economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is set to decelerate from 3.6% in 2022 to 2.5% in 2023.
IDA in Africa

With IDA’s help, hundreds of millions of people have escaped poverty—through the creation of jobs, access to clean water, schools, roads, nutrition, electricity, and more.
Oct 06, 2022

Africa’s Human Capital Plan

Read the World Bank’s plan to support African countries to strengthen the quantity, efficiency and impact of investments in people.