Development News Magazine

  The 2025 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund in Washington D.C. provided a defining moment for Africa’s development narrative. At the centre of this year’s dialogue was Dr Sidi Ould Tah , President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), who led the Bank’s delegation with a clear message: “ Africa’s youth are not a burden to manage; they are the engine of our continent’s future .” His remarks captured growing momentum behind the idea that Africa’s greatest resource is its people . With the continent’s population projected to double by 2050 , and over 60 percent under the age of 25 , the stakes are high. The AfDB president called on global leaders to rethink traditional aid and investment models that treat youth unemployment as a crisis rather than an opportunity. At the Washington meetings, Dr Ould Tah joined the World Bank’s High-Level Advisory Council on Jobs to discuss how development finance can better support job creation and e...

Global commodity markets are headed toward their sharpest downturn in six years, with the World Bank warning that prices will fall by another 7% in both 2025 and 2026. The decline, driven by weak global growth, an expanding oil surplus, and persistent policy uncertainty, signals both relief for inflation and risk for exporters dependent on primary commodities . Energy Prices Slide, Inflation Cools — for Now Energy markets, once the cornerstone of inflationary pressure, are now stabilizing the global economy. According to the World Bank’s Commodity Markets Outlook, energy prices are expected to plunge by 12% in 2025 and another 10% in 2026. Brent crude oil is forecast to drop from an average of $68 in 2025 to $60 in 2026, marking a five-year low as electric and hybrid vehicles reshape consumption patterns and Chinese oil demand plateaus. “Commodity markets are helping to stabilize the global economy,” said Indermit Gill , the World Bank Group’s Chief Economist and Senior Vice Presid...

Global Development Goals at Risk as Conflict and Instability Deepen Across 39 Economies A new World Bank report released today paints a sobering picture: extreme poverty is rising fastest in the very places least equipped to fight it—countries crippled by conflict and instability. With development setbacks piling up and violence reaching its highest levels in 25 years, these fragile economies now account for the majority of the world’s extreme poor. The report, the Bank’s first comprehensive post-COVID-19 assessment of conflict-affected and unstable economies, finds that these 39 countries are rapidly diverging from global development trends. Per capita GDP is shrinking, employment remains stagnant, food insecurity is worsening, and education outcomes are collapsing. “More than 70% of those suffering from conflict and instability are Africans. Untreated, these conditions become chronic,” said Indermit Gill, Chief Economist of the World Bank Group. “Half of the countries facing conflict...