World Bank approves $170m for females in Africa The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors has approved $170.2 million for women and adolescent girls to expand their access to reproductive, child and maternal health services in five countries in Africa’s Sahel region and the Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS). The Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Project would also help promote regional knowledge and data on proven gender development programmes. “To end poverty across Africa and promote greater prosperity for families, we know that the answer involves improved access to health services for women and educating adolescent girls,” World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region, Makhtar Diop said. “Meeting these objectives is even more critical for countries in the Sahel, which have some of the world’s highest birth rates. Improving access to maternal and child health, and family planning services, will create more economic opportunities for women and girls in the region.” The approval came one year after World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim visited the Sahel with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and pledged $1.5 billion for regional development priorities such as social safety nets to help families weather the worst effects of economic adversity and natural disasters, infrastructure development and creating increased economic opportunities for families living in rural areas. Africa’s Sahel region suffers from multiple development challenges: too little economic growth and opportunity, a harsh climate, hunger, high fertility rates, and the world’s highest number of maternal and child deaths. The Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Project would work across the sub-region to improve the availability and affordability of r - See more at: smeonline.biz/world-bank-approves-170m-for-females-in-africa/#sthash.yFQceZg4.dpuf
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 11:37:22 +0000
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