Sub-Saharan Africa

Conditionality

News

Moving the goalposts: Zambia’s misery prolonged

Despite intensive efforts to implement the necessary conditions, Zambia has been told that it will have to wait even longer for debt relief.

26 July 2004

Environment

News

Wolfensohn meets with Congolese groups

A videoconference was held in July to bring together Congolese organisations, international forest activists and Bank President James Wolfensohn to discuss a Bank-supported forest zoning plan for the Democratic Republic of Congo.

26 July 2004

IFI governance

News

Landmark decision: Canadian company debarred

Anti-corruption campaigners are applauding the World Bank's decision to debar Acres International, a Canadian company found guilty by Lesotho courts of engaging in corrupt activities in a Bank-funded water project.

26 July 2004

IFI governance

News

African Executive Directors' support fund

The African Economic Research Consortium has been awarded the contract by the sub-saharan African Executive Directors at the Bank and Fund to act as the commissioning agent for the Analytical Trust Fund.

28 May 2004

Rights

News

Iraq and Ethiopia treatment shows debt relief double standards

The differing treatment given to Ethiopia and Iraq in debt relief suggest that geopolitical considerations are again outweighing internationally agreed criteria for fair debt cancellation.

5 April 2004

Rights

News

World Bank pushes Malawi agriculture privatisation

World Bank manoeuvres to ensure parliamentary approval of a controversial agriculture privatisation policy demonstrates the continued influence of the Bank and the problems with Poverty and Social Impact Analysis.

5 April 2004

Conditionality

News

Parliaments: the missing link in democratising national policy making

Across sub-saharan Africa, good governance efforts depend on the strengthening of parliamentary democracy. In sharp contrast country relations with IFIs reveal weak parliamentary engagement.

5 April 2004

Knowledge

News

PRSPs: a continuation of structural adjustment

Debate remains over the formulation and content of PRSPs. Many analysts suggest that they continue the trajectory of structural adjustment policies.

5 April 2004

Private Sector

News

Acres debarment: Litmus test for Bank on corruption

The Bank's sanctions committee has reopened the debarment case against Acres International, a Canadian firm whose conviction for bribing an official was upheld by the Lesotho appeals court last August.

5 April 2004

Conditionality

Commentary

Life under the IMF’s magnifying glass:

The Fund takes to micro-management in Zambia to ensure compliance with belt tightening measures, threatening civil unrest.

5 April 2004 | Guest comment

Rights

News

Congolese groups unite to demand scrutiny of forest policies

NGOs in the Democratic Republic of Congo have allied to challenge industrial logging in their country's rainforests. In February they appealed to the World Bank and other agencies to halt a plan which would make up to 60 million hectares of rainforest available to logging companies in the coming years.

5 April 2004

Knowledge

News

IMF and poverty: strange bed fellows

The IMF's capacity and legitimacy to address poverty have been debated by many analysts within…

29 March 2004