Book Description

Based on a report by a World Bank task force, this book provides a candid assessment of the Bank's operations in Sub-Saharan Africa. The book examines how the Bank can strengthen its operational response to poverty and improve food security, recommends improvements and innovative approaches to poverty reduction, and discusses ways of strengthening and making further use of regional initiatives. Although the report identifies improvements in the work on poverty reduction that have taken place since 1995, it finds that much remains to be done: * On average, 45 to 50 percent of Sub-Saharan Africans live below the poverty line, a much higher proportion than any other region of the world except South Asia. * The commitment of governments to poverty reduction is usually weak; only about 12 African governments have such a commitment. * Economic growth rates are generally far too low to reduce poverty significantly; growth rates of 6.5 percent per year are required for countries in this region to reduce poverty at an acceptable rate. * The World Bank's lending has emphasized growth, focusing almost 58 percent of its assistance to the region on creating the mechanisms for growth through policy change and large-scale investments. * The World Bank's focus on poverty reduction in programming and lending must intensify in all its operational work. * All development partners should establish stronger collaboration in planning their assistance programs.