The development objective of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) Program for Advancing Regional Energy or Transformational Projects for Africa is to advance the preparation of selected priority regional energy projects in the SAPP participating countries.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (1) planning and acquisition of necessary human and financial resources and development and implementation of sound environmental and social management system; (2) implement best practice technologies, utilities high grade fuel sources, reduce energy generation from non-renewable sources; (3) select sites with deeper valleys, to minimize area that will be flooded. Mimic natural flow and flood regimes whenever possible via well-timed controlled releases; (4) implement good practice construction methods and housekeeping and avoid aquatic habitats to the greatest extent possible; (5) develop, implement, monitor, and update waste and emissions plans. Implement industry good practice regarding vehicle maintenance and waste management; (6) assess traffic impacts and implement necessary mitigation measures; and (7) minimize offshore dumping of spoil via alternative disposal methods. Undertake research and evaluate impacts of various disposal options and sites.
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The World Bank has been supporting a comprehensive program to strengthen cooperative management and development within the Zambezi River Basin.
... See More + This program provides regional financing and analytical work that brings together the various commitments within a World Bank-financed portfolio of more than USD 2 billion to facilitate dialogue among the riparian states and further drive the development of climate-resilient water resources for sustainable growth. The application of the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol in the Zambezi River Basin represents part of this broader program of support to the riparian states toward enhancing development outcomes through improved cooperation and sustainable development. The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol is a multi-stakeholder tool that evaluates the performance of hydropower projects against globally-applicable sustainability criteria for basic good practice and proven best practice. This Program Report reflects on the project design, objectives, results, and lessons learned from the experience of using the Protocol for guided self-assessment with three hydropower operators in the basin: the Zambezi River Authority, Zesco, and Hidroeléctrica Cahora Bassa.
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Working Paper 133625 JAN 10, 2019
Wishart,Marcus J.; Lyon,Kimberly Nicole; Nundwe,Cecil; Liden,Mats Johan RikardDisclosed
This report provides an assessment of the current state of development of financial safety nets and bank resolution frameworks in eight countries in southern Africa (Botswana, Eswatini [formerly Swaziland], Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe).
... See More + It has been prepared to inform ongoing and planned technical assistance projects in the southern Africa region and to provide a basis for engagement with the authorities in each of the countries covered by the study. This summary draws from more detailed material contained in a comprehensive study.
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This report provides an assessment of the current state of development of financial safety nets and bank resolution frameworks in eight countries in southern Africa (Botswana, Eswatini [formerly Swaziland], Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe).
... See More + It has been prepared to inform ongoing and planned technical assistance projects in the southern Africa region and to provide a basis for engagement with the authorities in each of the countries covered by the study. This summary draws from more detailed material contained in a comprehensive study.
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Progress toward universal health care (UHC) in Africa will require sustained increases in public spending on health and reduced reliance on out-of-pocket financing.
... See More + This article reviews trends and patterns of government spending in the East and Southern Africa regions and points out methodological challenges with interpreting data from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Health Expenditure Database (GHED) and other sources. Government expenditure for health has increased for most countries, albeit at a slower rate than gross domestic product (GDP). In most countries there has been a prioritization away from health in government budgets, putting the onus on the private sector and donors to fill the gap. Donor support is important in the region but reliance on external spending is not consistent with countries’ stated ambitions of universal health coverage. Several methodological challenges with estimating health expenditures are identified. Capturing health expenditures adequately across agencies and levels of decentralization can be challenging, and off-budget funds and arrears are evasive. Measurement error can be significant because actual expenditure information can be hard to come by and is often dated and unreliable. Furthermore, how external financing is captured will affect government health expenditure estimates. These factors have contributed to differences in expenditure estimates between the WHO GHED and country-specific public expenditure reviews and complicate interpretation. The article concludes that it is critical to strengthen national data capacity and international efforts to promote quality and consistency of data. The GHED is an invaluable resource for monitoring and benchmarking health expenditures. It is best used in combination with deep dive country expenditure assessments.
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An assessment of food security early warning systems (EWSs) was conducted to improve food security and resilience in East and Southern Africa (ESA).
... See More + The study aimed at assessing challenges and opportunities for improving food security EWSs for enhanced resilience in ESA. The performance and capacity of EWSs at the regional economic cooperation level and at select member states were assessed. The challenges that recur across the regional economic communities (RECs) and member states fall into institutional, technical, and sustainability and financial challenges. Actions required to overcome the challenges include: developing and strengthening the food security information system; strengthening of the EWS legal, regulatory, and institutional frameworks; investing in technical capacity development; mainstreaming EWS into agricultural and food security policies, budgetary allocations, and planning frameworks; and support the development of tools to support vulnerable households and communities.
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This special issue on health financing in East and Sothern Africa comes at an opportune time. Economic growth in the region is contributing to a changing lifestyle and an increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases, such as diabetes, which are costlier to treat.
... See More + Coupled with the unfinished health agenda of communicable diseases and maternal and child health, demand for health care is increasing rapidly and putting financial pressure on governments. A risky response in a resource constrained setting is governments reallocating funds away from the poor to more expensive specialist and tertiary care. Another risky response relates to ways of raising additional revenues, especially in countries where health facilities already charge user fees in the absence of prepayment. Relatively poor patients who pay fees when seeking care may have to sell assets and incur debts, which may push them into poverty or deeper into poverty. Protecting households against falling into poverty and ensuring access to essential health services are thus top priorities for governments committed to universal health coverage (UHC) in the region. Achieving this objective requires solving several pertinent problems.
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Remittances are an important source of income for households in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), as well as a crucial source of foreign exchange for countries in the region.
... See More + Despite the relatively large inflows of remittances to SADC, the cost of sending money to and within the region is significantly higher than other regions in the world. To address the high cost of remittances globally, the World Bank has been involved in a number of initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency and safety of the market for remittances. At the regional level, the SADC Committee of Central Bank Governors (CCBG) has led several initiatives aimed at enhancing the regional payment system infrastructure, also with a focus on reducing the cost of remittances within the region.
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