Our goal is to help turn around fragile states – WB’s Diagana
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Ousmane Diagana is the Vice-President of the World Bank for West and Central Africa. He oversees these two very different sub-regions each with its own sets of challenges and needs. Eleven of the 22 countries in West and Central Africa are classified as ‘fragile state’. His operational portfolio is around $50bn to help turn these countries around. What are his plans? Interview by
Hichem Ben Yaïche and Nicolas Bouchet.
As the VP of the World Bank for West and Central Africa, what are your key objectives for the region?
Summary
Resilience is the key angle through which policymakers imagine the next-generation Eastern Partnership (EaP). Achieving it is a tough challenge for the EaP countries. They are exposed to geopolitical risks and some of their internal and border conflicts are escalating. The coronavirus pandemic has put pressure on their societies and state resources.
This brief draws from the discussions at a conference organized by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, KfW Development Bank, and GMF. This yielded recommendations for the new, ambitious, and measurable post-2020 deliverables centered around building more resilient economies, empowering vibrant civil societies, and ensuring responsive and accountable state institutions.