The World Bank

 “𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.” On World Cities Day, Marisela Ponce de León Valdés, Senior Transport Specialist and the Road Safety Pillar Lead within the Africa Transport Policy Program at The World Bank Group, reminds us that road crashes are not accidents—they are preventable, and each of us can play a role in stopping them. Watch this video to discover what drives Marisela every day at our Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire office to make roads safer. Learn more about our work in transport, mobility, and road safety: http://wrld.bg/2MSi50Xjg20

Latin America and the Caribbean are facing rising temperatures and more frequent extreme heat, with cities projected to see up to 116 additional hot days per year by the century’s end. Heat-related deaths have surged 140% in the past two decades. The World Bank report 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲: 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗨𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗻 highlights the urgent need to protect vulnerable populations, improve urban resilience, and address the growing risks of extreme heat in one of the world’s most urbanized regions. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: ➡️ Cities across the region are getting hotter. Temperatures are rising across all climate zones, and daily urban highs are projected to increase by 2.3 to 2.7°C by the end of the century. The Caribbean and Amazon Basin will be among the hardest hit. ➡️ Urban heat is deadly and unequal. It causes tens of thousands of deaths each year and disproportionately affects older adults and vulnerable groups. ➡️Low-income households are most exposed, often living in neighborhoods with little green space, poor-quality housing, and limited mobility options beyond walking or public transport. ➡️ Infrastructure and services are unprepared. Power grids, transport systems, housing, and schools were not designed for extreme heat, leading to blackouts, service failures, learning disruptions, and widespread thermal discomfort. ➡️ Urban heat threatens prosperity. Extreme heat reduces labor productivity, raises health costs, and is already slowing economic activity in many cities—with projected GDP losses in major urban centers reaching 5% or more in the coming decades. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: ➡️ Solutions exist—and cities are already moving forward. Many are investing in heat resilience, from expanding green areas to adapting housing. Scaling up these efforts can save lives, protect economies, and create new opportunities for decent work. ➡️ Work is part of the solution. With up to 70% of Latin American and Caribbean workers exposed to extreme heat, stronger safety standards, adaptive social protection, and early warning systems can save lives, protect incomes, and create quality jobs. ➡️ Design cooler urban spaces. Expand tree cover, shaded corridors, and parks; retrofit buildings with green or reflective roofs; and apply passive design principles to improve ventilation and reduce indoor heat. ➡️ Strengthen resilient public services and housing. Modernize power grids, water systems, schools, transport, and affordable housing to withstand prolonged heatwaves, ensuring continuous services and safe living conditions. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 #WorldCitiesDay: http://wrld.bg/KLQR50XkuJh

The Financial Times and the The World Bank Group have launched the second edition of the Africa Sustainable Futures Awards, an annual program celebrating innovative, long-term solutions to development challenges across Africa. Watch the Awards showcase commercially viable initiatives that deliver transformative, resilient, and scalable solutions—addressing today’s needs while ensuring the well-being of future generations. Now more than ever, building self-sustaining models for growth is essential. #AfricaSFAwards

Youth in South Asia are eager for jobs, pathways out of poverty and toward dignity and purpose. By 2035, nearly 300 million will enter the labor market, but millions risk being left behind, especially young women. The World Bank is helping countries turn growth into jobs through programs like RAISE in Bangladesh and skills initiatives across the region. Read the insights of Johannes Zutt, Vice President for the South Asia Region of the World Bank, on how empowering youth through jobs can transform South Asia’s future.

𝗡𝗘𝗪 | Commodity Prices to Hit Six-Year Low in 2026 as Oil Glut Expands. Global commodity prices are projected to fall 7% in both 2025 and 2026, marking the fourth consecutive year of decline. • A growing oil surplus and slowing global growth are driving prices down—even as they remain above pre-pandemic levels. • Falling energy prices are helping ease global inflation, creating a window for governments to strengthen fiscal positions and spur investment. Read the latest World Bank 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 to see what’s ahead for energy, metals, and agriculture: http://wrld.bg/KRsv50XjKke

"𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲." Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy of Nigeria, explains how technology and connectivity can help Nigeria meet its growing food demand sustainably.

𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 |  The 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗣𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗲 shows that Sub-Saharan Africa’s economy remains resilient amid global uncertainty. Growth is expected to reach 3.8% in 2025 and average 4.4% in 2026–27, supported by easing inflation across most countries. Yet, most new workers continue to find jobs in low-productivity, informal sectors. To turn growth into better livelihoods, the region needs a new model anchored in medium-sized and large enterprises, the engines of productivity and quality job creation. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: ➡️ Sub-Saharan Africa’s growth remains resilient amid global uncertainty. Economic activity is set to rise from 3.5% in 2024 to 3.8% in 2025, and average 4.4% in 2026–27, supported by lower inflation and stronger trade. Yet, fiscal consolidation and high debt service, which has more than doubled over the past decade to 2% of GDP, remain key risks. ➡️ The region is also experiencing the world’s fastest demographic shift: by 2050, its working-age population will grow by over 620 million people, more than three-quarters of the total increase across all developing economies. ➡️ This creates a twin challenge: generating enough jobs for a rapidly expanding labor force and ensuring those jobs provide better pay and stability. ➡️ To meet this challenge, Africa needs a new growth model centered on medium-sized and large enterprises, key drivers of productivity and job creation. Current growth is not yielding enough wage jobs: a 1 percentage point rise in GDP lifts wage employment by only 0.04 points. With 73% of workers in small, informal businesses, scaling up firm size and efficiency is essential to drive productivity and expand formal employment. 🔗 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲: http://wrld.bg/YcBv50XitXQ

Weekly Update: ➡️ 𝗝𝗼𝗯𝘀, 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵: 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀. Our new approach to job creation took center stage at this year’s Annual Meetings. Catch key moments, outcomes, and event replays in our full recap. ➡️ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀. These reports explore regional development trends and the future of jobs, from education and skills to the impact of AI. ➡️ 𝗔𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁: 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Our partners turn shared goals into impact—creating jobs, empowering communities, and driving development where it’s needed most. ➡️ 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗝𝗼𝗯𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀: 𝗜𝗗𝗔 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮. By 2035, nearly half a billion Africans will reach working age. IDA is helping create jobs, expand opportunities, and drive inclusive growth.  

When harvests fail, resilience means farmers can plant again next season. PULA's Rose Goslinga on de risking with crop insurance, at scale through public private partnerships. Watch the #WBGMeetings AgriConnect event replay: http://wrld.bg/WmuB50XhPxk