This first event of the Experience-Sharing Program on Development between China and Africa brought 31 senior officials (ministers, vice ministers, permanent secretaries and director generals) from 17 East and Southern African countries to China during May 20-29, 2008. The program is initiated, financed and sponsored by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Commerce and the State Councils Leading Group on Poverty Reduction of China, with strong support from the World Bank. It is part of Chinas efforts to share its own development experience with other developing countries and this event provided an excellent forum for the exchange of development experience between Africa and China. The event included a three-day workshop in Beijing and five-day field visits to four provinces (Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi and Zhejiang).,

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A Video Case Study

The Ethembalethu story reads like a fairytale. A decade ago, members of this community, composed largely of laid-off farm workers, wanted to buy their own farm in a per-urban area west of Johannesburg. the name of the village would be Ethembalethu meaning "Our Hope".

Their ten year struggle to reach this goal is a clear indication that the freedoms of democracy don't yet naturally translate into tangible rights in the matters of land and housing. Indeed if this case is anything to go by it is clear that many more battles like Ethembalethu would need to be fought before the war for land and housing is won in South Africa.


http://go.worldbank.org/37U8OW O1P0

Download the case study:
http://siteresources.worldbank .org/INTSOUTHAFRICA/Resources/ Ethembalethu_Final.pdf
This video study is based on a written case study of the same title in the World Bank Working Paper No. 130 published by World Bank, Washington, D.C. USA.

Sponsored by the World Bank
Produced by Black Earth Communications
June 2009

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Launched by the Social Development Department, World Bank in August 2008, "Vulnerability Exposed: Social Dimensions of Climate Change" was a global competition to produce 2to5 minute documentaries that highlight the social aspects of climate change as experienced or observed by the film-makers. During the two month submission period, the World Bank received more than 100 entries from professional and amateur film-makers and from both developed and developing countries alike. In January 2009, eight filmmakers and producers from around the world collected awards for their micro-documentaries at a special ceremony held in Washington, DC.

This video provides an overview of the film contest as well as the World Bank's program on the Social Dimensions of Climate Change.

More information about the World Bank's program on the Social Dimensions of Climate Change and the film contest, please visit www.worldbank.org/sdcc.

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Photojournalist Marcus Bleasdale describes the recent chaos he has witnessed and photographed in eastern Congo. Read more about this conflict at www.hrw.org

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Scientists estimate that people are not washing their hands often or well enough and may transmit up to 80% of all infections by their hands. From doorknobs to animals to food, harmful germs can live on almost everything. Handwashing may be your single most important act to help stop the spread of infection and stay healthy.

This video can also be viewed at http://www.cdc.gov/cdctv/

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http://youtube.com/davos 30.01.2009
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director, World Bank, Washington DC, talks about Africa and asks for your thoughts at the World Economic Forum in Davos 2009.

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World Bank President Robert Zoellick warns of the threat posed by rising food prices world-wide.

Zoellick he stressed that food prices would be at the top of the agenda, and that the international community must make agriculture a priority.

Brandishing a sack of rice to make his point, World Bank president Robert Zoellick told reporters in Washington that rice prices have jumped 75% globally...and that's in the last two months.

In Bangladesh, a 2 kilogram bag of rice now costs half of a family's daily income. The price of rice is likely to rise again.

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In a speech Apr 2nd, World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick called for a "new deal" to combat world hunger and malnutrition through a combination of emergency aid and long-term efforts to boost agricultural productivity in developing countries.

The "New Deal for a Global Food Policy" is part of a suite of initiatives Zoellick outlined to advance development in the face of skyrocketing food and oil prices. He also called for a global trade deal to be agreed as soon as possible, detailed an initiative to help countries manage their wealth earned from high energy and mineral prices in a more inclusive way, and encouraged sovereign wealth funds to create a "One Percent Solution" for equity investment in Africa.

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High food prices are threatening recent gains in overcoming poverty and malnutrition, and are likely to persist over the medium term, says a new World Bank Group policy note released today.

"Poor people are suffering daily from the impact of high food prices, especially in urban areas and in low income countries," said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. "In some countries, hard-won gains in overcoming poverty may now be reversed. As an international community we must rally not only to offer immediate support, but to help countries identify actions and policies to reduce the impact on the world's most vulnerable."

According to Rising Food Prices: Policy Options and World Bank Response, increases in global wheat prices reached 181 percent over the 36 months leading up to February 2008, and overall global food prices increased by 83 percent. Food crop prices are expected to remain high in 2008 and 2009 and then begin to decline, but they are likely to remain well above the 2004 levels through 2015 for most food crops.

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Social entrepreneurs from 42 countries bring their ideas for low-cost agricultural development to the annual Global Development Marketplace competition at the World Bank this week.

The three-day event, held almost every year since 1998, showcases promising solutions to development problems. This year, 100 finalists were selected from 1,800 proposals for grassroots initiatives to help communities struggling with the current food crisis.

The 25 winners of the 2008 Global Development Marketplace on Sustainable Agriculture will receive up to US$200,000 each for innovative projects linking farmers to markets, improving access to land and tenure, and addressing climate change and biodiversity.

To learn more please visit http://www.developmentmarketpl ace.org

Check out our blog at http://dmblog.worldbank.org

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The World Bank and its partners have awarded more than US$4 million dollars to over 20 innovative agricultural projects from around the globe. The funding was provided through Development Marketplace - a competitive grant program that identifies and funds innovative, early-stage development projects with high potential for impact and replication. This years competition on sustainable agriculture drew almost 1,800 applications, with the final winners selected from 100 finalists who travelled to Washington DC to present their ideas at World Bank headquarters, September 24-26.

Twenty-two winners collected their crystal awards and grant checks in the 2008 Global Development Marketplace: Sustainable Agriculture for Development competition this morning.

The winners came from Sub-Saharan Africa, South and East Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. India, Mexico, Ecuador, and Vietnam were each the home of two award winners. Altogether, 13 countries were represented.

For more information, please visit www.developmentmarketplace.org

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The 2008 Global Development Development Marketplace called for new ideas in sustainable agriculture for development addressing three main issues: linking small-scale farmers to markets; improving land access and tenure for the poor; and addressing the challenges of climate change and biodiversity. The competition drew 1,768 proposals. The finalists were announced on June 23; they will be invited to Washington, DC to participate in the Development Marketplace and to compete for one of the 25-30 grants to be awarded in September at World Bank Headquarters. The top nine countries of implementation are India, Kenya, Philippines, Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, Nepal, Tanzania and Vietnam.

For more information visit: http://www.developmentmarketpl ace.org

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Dr. Kwesi Botchwey, Ghanas longest serving Minister for Finance and Economic Planning has called on Ghanas politicians to be honest about the facts of the countrys economy, and stop the blame game.

The man who managed Ghanas economy for 13 years from 1982 to 1995 says the matters which the World Bank Country Director, Ishac Diwan had put out in the economic outlook on Ghana recently is not a secret, the issues have been known, it has been in the public domain for a long time, he said.

Dr. Kwesi Botchwey made the remarks on TV3s Current Affairs show, Agenda, Thursday January 15, 2009 and was monitored by www.ghanabusinessnews.com. He argues that it is not entirely correct that these issues have not been in the public domain. All the facts that the World Bank is putting out now have been known.

Dr. Botchwey was dismayed that the debate about the economy has been politicized. Unfortunately, these debates have been politicized, and it must be depoliticized, he urged.
Yes, there has been growth, I think that the NPP administration must be congratulated for stabilizing the macro-economic environment, it is true that interest rates came down, it is true that inflation came down, but it is also true that over the past year, especially, there have been deterioration and that must be admitted, Dr. Botchwey stated.

According to Dr. Botchwey, the deficit has grown, the national currency has depreciated, it is true that there was pressure on our external accounts, and there is pressure on imports and our international reserves have gone down. He said any professional who looks at the economic performance record of the past year would have to admit that there has been deterioration. As a country Ghana spends much more than it earns in revenue. And from the facts and figures available, the countrys deficit has surged in the last year and it is poised to go up in 2009.

Dr. Botchwey advised that as a nation we need to discuss this debate dispassionately and leave the World Bank and IMF out. There is not much sense in shooting the messenger.
Lets ask ourselves, is what they are saying true? Forget who is saying it. Because these things have implications for the kind of policy mix we have to adopt for the next four years, he said.

Article by Emmanuel K. Dogbevi
http://ghanabusinessnews.com/2 009/01/17/kwesi-botchwey-speak s-on-ghana%E2%80%99s-economy/

Email: edogbevi@hotmail.com
www.ghanabusinessnews.com

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Ghana's landmark presidential and parliamentary elections will be held on December 7, 2008, and many Ghanaians and friends of Ghana have course to worry about the country's ability to remain the oasis and beacon of peace in a hitherto stormy neighborhood.

Over the past few months, the electioneering process has been beset with many reports of violence, fighting and profound bickering. Even during intra-party primaries, some people have been reported to have lost lives. The good thing is that Ghanaians by their nature are very peaceful and peace loving, so it is not a surprise that many initiative have already sprung up with the aim of promoting peace. With the slogan GHANA FIRST WE LOVE PEACE, the United Ghanaian Artistes for Peace (UGAP), featuring all the winners of the prestigious MUSIGA 2007 Awards and other leading Ghanaian artistes first worked very hard to produce a Peace Song entitled We Love Peace - which is gradually becoming a hit, and a video to match, which is currently being played on all TV stations in Ghana.

Some of the popular names on the Train are Diana Hopeson, Amandzeba, Shasha Marley, Kwaw Kesse (Abodam), Adane Best, Ohemaa Mercy, Chemphe, 5 Five, Spirit, Wutah, Kitchen, Blaq Swede, Sherifatu Gunu, Rev Lenny Akpade, Grace Ashey, Ceasar, Slow Gem, Philipa Berfi, Jane and Irene, Reggy Zippy, Isaac, Cee, Ampong, A.B. Crentsil, Patty, Okuraseni Samuel, Jerry Borketey, and the indomitable King Ayisoba.

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Fish Farming in Ghana

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