The world's population growth tells two stories: in many countries populations are aging, while in others, populations are getting younger. Projections show most countries will likely see shrinking populations within the next 25 years due to historically low fertility rates.

But the African continent is bucking this trend. It has the potential to benefit from a demographic dividend: an opportunity for rapid economic growth driven by a large, youthful population. But that is with the right combination of policies and technical support).

In this episode of The Development Podcast, we get to grips with what the data tell us,  and what this means for development.

Join us as we hear from: Craig Hammer, Manager, Office of the Chief Statistician & Development Data Group, World Bank Group, Sarah Hague, Regional Advisor Social Policy, East and Southern Africa, UNICEF, Juyoung Yang, Economist, Department of Macroeconomic and Financial Policies, Korea Development Institute, Katia Osei, Head of Environmental Justice, The Or Foundation, Ghana.

[00:00] Welcome: From demographic dividends to sliver tsunamis 

[02:28] Two stories of demographic changes in Ghana and Korea

[08:08] Why do we need data for development?

[09:53] The demographic dividend unpacked

[14:36] Missing data in development

[16:27] How the World Bank Group and UNICEF are working together on data collection

[17:36] What new research on childhood poverty reveals

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

How can energy-efficient light bulbs, bricks, and buildings cut costs and improve energy security? 

In this episode of The Development Podcast, , we discover that energy efficiency doesn’t just save money—it also drives growth and creates jobs. In 2022 alone, energy efficiency became the largest employer in the energy sector—supporting nearly 11 million jobs—from manufacturing and construction to installation and training. 

So, what needs to happen for the world to reap the rewards of becoming more energy efficient? Join us as we hear from: Jas Singh, Lead Energy Specialist, World Bank Group,  Melanie Slade, Senior Programme Manager, Energy Efficiency in Emerging Economies at the International Energy Agency (IEA), and Nitik Arya, Sauga Bricks Pvt Ltd, India. 

[00:00] Welcome: Wasted energy and why we should become more energy efficient

[02:27] Cooler air: The story of a brick manufacturer in India

[07:23] How much progress has the world made on energy efficiency

[10:48] Air cooling systems

[13:32] The invisible powerhouse of economic growth

[19:40] Technological developments and the future of energy efficiency

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

Risk is all around us, an inherent part of life. And in the world of development, there are also risks, including war, civil disturbance and expropriation.   

In this episode of The Development Podcast, we take a deep dive into the work of MIGA, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency – home of the new World Bank Group Guarantee Platform. Its work with the private sector gives investors the confidence to build power plants, water treatment plans, hospitals and more, unlocking much-needed capital for development. Join us as we hear from Junaid Kamal Ahmad, MIGA Vice President of Operations, and Maira Lelis, Farmer in Brazil.

[00:00] Welcome: Introducing World Bank Group's Guarantees

[03:46] Guarantees in practice: A project supporting agribusiness in Brazil

[07:01] Why guarantees matter in today's development financing landscape

[13:45] Reshaping how we approach financing for development

[18:26] The impact of development in one village

[20:56] How the Guarantee Platform leads to job creation

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

The digital world is developing at a phenomenal pace. From AI tools at our fingertips, to advancements in energy, consumer technology, and connectivity: change is here. Harnessing these changes can unlock prosperity, create jobs, allow access to public services, and accelerate development. But with the digital divide still creating a chasm of connectivity, bridging the gap is an urgent challenge. In this episode of The Development Podcast, we explore how we can ensure that nobody is left behind, and how digital advancements create real-world impact.  

• Idah Pswarayi-Riddihough, Global Director in the Digital Vice Presidency, covering digital use, and the Director of Strategy and Operations.
• Américo Muchanga, Mozambique’s Minister of Communications and Digital Transformation
• Anthony Tan, Grab group CEO and co-founder
• Youmina Machele, student who is using digital tools to accelerate her leaning in Mozambique

[00:00] Welcome: the benefits of closing the digital divide

[01:39] Grab and the power of the digital economy

[06:57] Digital tools in education

[09:33] Digital transformation and public service delivery in Mozambique

[15:42] How the World Bank Group is supporting digital transformation

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

With 1.2 billion young people in emerging economies reaching working age over the next decade—and only about 420 million jobs expected to be generated—the urgency of finding scalable and sustainable solutions has never been greater.

In this episode of The Development Podcast, we hear from one young person about their journey into the world of work and what the World Bank Group is doing to address one of the most urgent issues facing development: how to meet the stable employment aspirations of the developing world's fast-growing youth population.

• Ajay Banga, President, World Bank Group 
• Makhtar Diop, Managing Director, International Finance Corporation 
• Christina Williams, Lawyer and activist  
• Omprakash Shukla, Chairman and founder, Royal Group of Companies  
• Sharon Maithia, Logistics Manager, Royal Group

[00:00] Welcome: Jobs, young people and prosperity

[03:31] Young voices from Jamaica: Christina Williams, lawyer and activist

[12:49] Job creation: Five promising sectors

[15:09] Voices from Kenya: Inclusive growth and supply chains

[19:48] The role of the private sector in job creation

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

To mark Women’s Month we’re digging into an often overlooked, but critical sector for the global economy, and for many millions of women: Artisanal and Smallscale Mining (ASM).  

From gold, cobalt, copper and gemstones to salt, gravel and quarry rock: artisanal and small-scale mining) has played an active role in national development and international trade over the decades. But as the demand for clean energy and for consumer technology grows worldwide, the need for the metals and minerals which are used in everything from smartphones to solar panels to electric vehicle batteries - is skyrocketing.   

In this episode of The Development Podcast we get an insight into the lives of women who work in Artisanal and Smallscale Mining. We hear about the dangers they face, efforts to reform conditions and the wider opportunities to build an inclusive future. 

• Dr Rachel Perks, Senior Mining Specialist, World Bank 
• Blessing Hungwe-Nharara, Zimbabwe Association of Women in Mining Associations
• Susan Wheeler, Founder of Virtu Gems 

[00:00] Introducing the topic: Mining and women workforce

[03:25] Artisanal and small-scale mining: workforce, challenges, energy transition, digital trends

[11:13] Trailblazing stories: The case of Blessing Hungwe-Nharara in Zimbabwe

[18:33] Gemstones, supply chains, and good practices in the public and private sectors

[21:23] The case of Virtu Gem in the jewelry industry

[26:37] Creating a sustainable value chain for all: What the World Bank is doing

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

Many of us take turning on a light switch or connecting our devices to a home Wi-Fi network for granted. If our phones need charging, we plug them in, if we want hot water we boil a kettle. These are things we don’t think about, because we don’t have to. But around 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa still live without access to electricity.   

In this episode of The Development Podcast, we look at Mission 300, an ambitious plan from the World Bank Group and partners, which will link 300 million people to electricity by 2030.

• Ajay Banga, President, World Bank Group  
• Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of Tanzania  
• Victoria Kwakwa, Regional Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, World Bank Group   
• Andrew Herscowitz, the CEO of Mission 300 Accelerator, established by Rockefeller Catalytic Capital  
• Hassanein Hiridjee, CEO, Axian Group  
• Klaartje Schnade, Co-founder, Mwani Zanzibar  
• Nora Anyidoho, Ghanian Poet 

[00:00] Introducing the topic: Powering Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

[03:33] Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit

[06:28] The link between electrification and jobs: Visions of an entrepreneur in Zanzibar

[10:50] Achieving the Mission 300 target

[14:21] Partnerships are key to achieving the targets set by the Mission 300 plan

[20:13] The private sector is a crucial part of the energy puzzle

[28:12] Poem from Ghanaian poet, Nora Anyidoho

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

As the world approaches the quarter way point of the 21st century, we take stock of the last year in development and the challenges ahead. And we return to the work of the International Development Association (IDA), in verse. Join us as we hear from Ayhan Kose, Deputy Chief Economist of the World Bank Group and Director of the Prospects Group, and Emi Mahmoud, Poet, activist and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.

[00:00] Welcome and introduction to the topic

[03:45] Global economy and growth despite intertwined challenges

[06:47] Eradicating poverty and boosting shared prosperity on a livable planet

[11:43] Biggest challenges facing low-income countries

[15:32] 2025: Hopes for the next year

[21:22] Emi Mahmoud, Sudanese activist spoken word poet and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

The International Development Association (IDA) is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s low-income countries. IDA's grants and low-interest loans help countries invest in their futures, improve lives, and create safer, more prosperous communities around the world. Replenished every three years, IDA’s current round of negotiations is scheduled to conclude in December 2024 in a final pledging meeting in Seoul, Korea.

As IDA completes its 21st replenishment, we journey to Korea to hear how the country, which has recently pledged a 45% in its contribution, has gone from recipient to donor. And we’ll learn about some of the development priorities of another donor country, Switzerland. 

• Aki Nishio, Vice President of Development Finance at the World Bank  
• Juyoung Yang, Associate Fellow in the Department of Macroeconomics and Financial Policy of the Korea Development Institute 
• Chantal Felder, Head of the Climate, Disaster Risk Reduction and Environment Section, Swiss Agency for Development and cooperation (SDC) 

[00:00] Introducing the International Development Association (IDA)

[03:26] Korea's developmental transformation

[06:25] Visions from the ground on Korea's economic growth

[11:10] How IDA is helping countries to tackle climate change

[17:04] International cooperation: Switzerland's commitment to IDA

[20:14] Hope on the horizon in a context of polycrisis

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.

The International Monetary Fund-World Bank Group 2024 Annual Meetings marked a turn of the page to the next phase of our mission: Ensuring job creation—and employment—are not the byproduct of our projects but an explicit aim of them.  

In this latest episode of The Development Podcast, we draw on some of the highlights from the Annual Meetings, as well as announcements on creating a new eco-system for agribusiness and boosting economic opportunities for more women. 

We hear from Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group; Situmbeko Musokotwane, Minister of Finance for Zambia; Mabouba Diagne, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Livestock in Senegal; Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, President and CEO of the ONE Campaign; Sandra Ablamba Johnson, Minister and Secretary General at the Presidency of Togo; Adebayo Olawale Edun, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance; and Raj Kumar, President & Editor-in-Chief at Devex. 

[00:00] Welcome and introduction of the topic

[01:33] World Bank's evolution process towards a bigger, better Bank

[04:35] Agriculture and food as an engine of sustainable growth and jobs

[08:17] Accelerating women’s economic opportunities

[11:58] Jobs creation, International Development Association, World Bank Group scorecard

[15:03] IDA21 replenishment

[17:51] Highlights and announcements

[21:04] Cooperation between the Global North and the Global South

[23:03] Climate change and COP29

This international development podcast brings together the data, research—and solutions—that can pave the way to a sustainable future. Through conversations focused on revealing the latest data, the best research, and cutting-edge solutions, let us introduce you to the folks working to make the world a better place. Listen and subscribe for free on your favorite platform. And rate our show! ;)

Tell us what you think of our podcast here >>>. We would love to hear from you! 

The World Bank is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for low-income countries. Its five institutions share a commitment to reducing poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development.