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This policy note provides a view of the main challenges facing Ghana youth and proposes policy options to address them. The note: (i) highlights youth key characteristics from the perspective of their skills and jobs and the constraints they face, (ii) describes the institutional set up and strategy governing youth employment interventions in Ghana and what is known about existing initiatives in Ghana, and (iii) proposes policy avenues going forward and the particular role the government can play. Because implementing such policies will prove a daunting task for any government, prioritization is critical. The analysis attempts to structure policy priorities with a proposed sequencing around short-term policy options, or quick gains in the first year; and medium-term program reform options, which may take longer. This note is mainly targeted to the National Youth Authority (NYA) within Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations (MELR), and to the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MYS), in charge of the policy making process on youth employment, as well as all their implementing partners within and outside the government as identified in the 2014-2017 National Youth Policy action plan.

Demographics --- Economic Management --- Economic Statistics, Modeling and Forecasting --- Employment and Unemployment --- Labor Markets --- Poverty Monitoring & analysis --- Poverty Reduction --- Poverty Strategy, analysis and Monitoring --- Skills Development and Labor Force Training --- Social Protection and Risk Management --- Social Protections and Labor

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As the second largest African oil producer, Angola had unsustainable government expenditures in effect until 2014 due to the drop in international oil prices. The Government responded with a comprehensive reform program including the gradual elimination of most fuel subsidies and an extension of the social protection program Cartao Kikuia. This report analyzes the impact of those reforms on poverty using micro-level simulations based on the most recent household consumption survey IBEP (2008). First, household data is projected to 2015 incorporating changes in population numbers as reported by the Population Census 2014. Second, the impact of the subsidy reforms is estimated by applying the price changes due to the reform to household budgets. Third, the extension of the Cartao Kikuia program is simulated as a cash transfer by adjusting budgets of targeted households with the non-cash benefit from Cartao Kikuia.

Economic Management --- Economic Statistics, Modeling and Forecasting --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Poverty Impact Evaluation --- Poverty Reduction --- Social Accountability --- Social analysis --- Social Development --- Social Protection and Risk Management --- Social Protections & Assistance --- Social Protections and Labor --- Taxation & Subsidies

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Africa's urban population is growing rapidly. Between 2000 and 2015, the urban population increased by more than 80 percent from 206 million to 373 million people. Although access to piped water increased over the period (from 82 million urban dwellers with piped water in 2000 to 124 million in 2015), African utilities were not able to keep up with the rapid urbanization as reflected in the decline of piped water as a primary source of water supply in percentage terms. The objective of this assessment is to inform Bank and government policies and projects on the drivers of utility performance. The report describes the main outcomes and lessons learned from the assessment that identified and analyzed the main features of water utility performance in Africa. The report includes the following chapters: chapter one gives introduction, chapter two describes the methodology used in the study, including details on the data collection process. In chapter three, the study team undertook a trend analysis of utility performance of the sector. Chapter four examines the efficiency of utilities using a data envelopment analysis (DEA) while also using an absolute performance approach. Chapter five investigates the effect of institutional factors on utility performance. Chapter six presents an econometric analysis of the drivers of utility performance, using various definitions of utility performance. The results from the econometric models are triangulated with a set of case studies of five utilities (Burkina Faso's l'Office National de l'Eau et de l'Assainissement (ONEA), Cote d'Ivoire's la sociata de distribution d'eau de la Cote d'Ivoire (SODECI), Kenya's Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC), Senegal's Sonagalaise des Eaux (SDE), and Uganda's National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), similar to those that the electricity study team undertook, which are presented in chapter seven. The report concludes in chapter eight with the lessons learned from the assessment.

Economic Management --- Economic Statistics, Modeling and Forecasting --- Finance --- Small Private Water Supply Providers --- Town Water Supply and Sanitation --- Urban Development --- Urban Services and Housing For the Poor --- Water Supply and Sanitation --- Water Supply and Sanitation Economics --- Water Utilities

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Policy makers in commodity-exporting countries have faced increasing challenges in the past two years, in the face of reduced demand from China and uncertain economic recovery in developed economies. Zambia is no exception. Falling copper prices and a power crisis have contributed to an economic slowdown. The effects of the slowdown could arguably have been counteracted in a sustainable manner by utilizing fiscal buffers, but this option was not available, as Zambia did not make savings or provide for stabilization measures when the economy was prospering. Furthermore, options to access external financing are limited, as Zambia's debt levels have soared in recent years following repeat non-concessional borrowing, making it more difficult and expensive to borrow from international debt markets. This policy note examines Zambia's fiscal vulnerabilities and the costs associated with its expansionary, subsidy-oriented fiscal policy. It then sets out the benefits of coordinating fiscal policy with monetary policy in a way that is mutually reinforcing and beneficial to private sector investment, instead of having the two pull in opposite directions, as is currently the case. Finally, it makes recommendations to help shift the fiscal position to a more sustainable path and in turn improve market confidence and the prospects for sustainable economic recovery.

Analysis of Economic Growth --- Economic Conditions and Volatility --- Economic Forecasting --- Economic Management --- Economic Recovery --- Economic Stabilization --- Economic Statistics, Modeling and Forecasting --- Fiscal & Monetary Policy --- Fiscal Policy --- Macroeconomic Management --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth --- Monetary Policy

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Rwanda grew at a rapid rate in the second half of 2011, exceeding 10 percent for the first time, since the 2009 global economic downturn. Overall, Rwanda achieved 8.6 percent growth in 2011, and substantially exceeded the average growth for Sub- Saharan Africa (SSA) of 5.0 percent. Rwanda also grew fastest than all the countries in the East African Community (EAC), which as a group reached 6.1 percent in 2011. Robust growth continued in the first quarter of 2012, when Rwanda's economy expanded at 7.7 percent. Renewed concerns over the global growth outlook and of the European debt crisis, might negatively affect Rwanda's prospects in 2012/2013, and lead to a lower growth turn-out compared to 2011. First quarter growth in 2012 remained overall robust, but showed considerable weakness in the industry sector. This was in contrast to what was observed in the second half of 2011, when industrial growth led by buoyant construction, and mining activities pushed the sector to the top, ahead of services. In the second half of 2011, Rwanda's growth momentum accelerated largely led by thriving non-tradable goods and services sectors while the manufacturing sector continued to be sluggish. The Rwandan economy expanded by 10.8 percent during the second half of 2011, but manufacturing only contributed 0.5 percentage points to this growth outcome. Agricultural output took a leap in the second half, mainly due to a very good second harvest season outcome. Overall, growth turn-out for 2011 stood at 8.6 percent, up from 7.2 percent in 2010. Inflationary pressures reappeared in tandem with high international food and fuel prices. The small policy response came with a delay, not enough to prevent core inflation reaching its highest level since mid-2009. Core inflation exceeded headline inflation for the whole second half of 2011. The current account deficit broadened in 2011. Rwanda's export performed robustly, benefiting from high international prices, but could not keep up with the increasing import bill, leading to a further deterioration in the trade balance. For 2012, Rwanda's economy is expected to continue to grow slower than it did in 2011, but at a healthy pace. The industrial sector is likely to expand less than in 2011 and growth in the services sector is expected to be more moderate, both on account of a more risky global environment.

Accounting --- Agriculture --- Analysis of Economic Growth --- Auctions --- Banking Sector --- Capital Markets --- Collateral --- Commodity Prices --- Corporate Governance --- Debt --- Debt Markets --- Developing Countries --- Economic Development --- Economic Geography --- Economic Growth --- Economic Management --- Economic Statistics, Modeling and Forecasting --- Economies of Scale --- Exporters --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Financial Institutions --- Financial Management --- Financial Sector --- Financial Services --- Fiscal & Monetary Policy --- Fiscal Policy --- Food Production --- Gdp --- Global Economy --- Gross Domestic Product --- Human Capital --- Income Tax --- Inflation --- Insurance --- Joint Ventures --- Life Insurance --- Macroeconomic Management --- Macroeconomics and Economic Growth