A delegation of the World Bank Group’s (WBG) Board of Executive Directors (EDs) noted South Africa’s and Namibia’s progress in achieving their development goals and re-affirmed World Bank Group’s commitment to providing support. The 11 EDs and Alternate EDs were hosted by the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) country offices during their recent visit on July 7-13.

The visit provided a platform to assess progress with projects and engage on the evolution of the World Bank Group’s relationship with the countries, from a knowledge-focused to a broader knowledge and financing partnership. EDs met government and business leaders, local stakeholders, and project beneficiaries, and experienced first-hand how the countries manage development priorities and challenges. South Africa and Namibia have common challenges, including poverty, unemployment, and inequality. Throughout the visit, the delegation discussed the ongoing and future support from the World Bank Group to boost inclusive economic growth and job creation.

In South Africa, over the past three years the country has shifted from being a non-borrowing client to borrowing over $1 billion per year from the World Bank. South Africa also constitutes the largest IFC portfolio in Africa and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency’s (MIGA) second largest on the continent.

In Namibia, the World Bank Group is preparing a new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) with the government that will strategically guide its support as the engagement continues to grow. The World Bank recently approved a $138.5 million renewable energy and transmission loan to NamPower, after 15 years without borrowing.

Key highlights of the visit included:

In South Africa, the delegation met with the Minister of Finance Honorable Enoch Godongwana, and the Minister of Electricity and Energy Honorable Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. EDs visited two IFC clients and two World Bank projects which showcased support for key government priorities and demonstrated how these projects link to global issues and corporate initiatives such as the just energy transition, health, urban development, and subnational government engagement. The delegation toured and engaged with stakeholders at the Komati power station – the site of the Eskom Just Energy Transition Project; the Addo Elephant Park that houses the innovative Wildlife Conservation Bond; and the IFC-supported Trust for Urban Housing Finance and BioVac Institute that manufactures vaccines locally.
In Namibia, the delegation met with Minister of Finance and Public Enterprises Honorable Ipumbu Shiimi and key stakeholders, including development partners and the private sector.  The delegation visited informal settlements near Windhoek to gain insights on housing related issues, a sector where IFC is investing and which the government has identified as a priority for World Bank Group engagement.

Matteo Bugamelli, the World Bank’s Executive Director who represents the constituency of countries including Albania, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, San Marino, and Timor-Leste, expressed optimism about the countries’ progress. He emphasized the World Bank Group’s commitment to helping South Africa and Namibia address unemployment and inequality challenges. He particularly welcomed the increased financing to support the implementation of much needed reforms.

About the World Bank Group’s Board of Directors: The Board of Executive Directors is responsible for the conduct of the general operations of the Bank, making decisions on loans, credits, grants, policies, and financial matters. The Board consists of 25 members who represent the 189 member countries, providing guidance for the institution’s development activities.

Visiting Board Officials: The delegation included Mr. Abdulaziz E A Almulla (Executive Director for Bahrain, Arab Republic of Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Maldives, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, West Bank and Gaza, and Republic of Yemen); Mr. Matteo Bugamelli (Executive Director for Albania, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, San Marino, and Timor-Leste); Ms. Ayanda Dlodlo (Executive Director Angola, Nigeria, South Africa); Mr. Floribert Ngaruko (Executive Director for Botswana, Burundi, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe); Ms. Katharine Rechico (Executive Director for Antigua&Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Kitts&Nevis and St. Vincent&the Grenadines); and Mr. Tauqir Shah (Executive Director for Afghanistan, Algeria, Ghana, Islamic Republic of Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, and Tunisia.

Visiting Alternate Executive Directors:  Mr. Louis Albisson (Alternate Executive Director for France); Mr. Felice Gorordo (Alternate Executive Director for the United States), Mr. Koji Uemura (Alternate Executive Director for Japan); Ms. Kerstin Sumana Wijeyewardene (Alternate Executive Director for Asia and the Pacific Constituency) and Mr. Weifeng Yang (Alternate Executive Director for China).

Included in the delegation was Ms. Mercy Tembon, World Bank Vice President and Corporate Secretary.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The World Bank Group.

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) and the Association of the Friends of Africa (TADD) organized an oral and dental health initiative in Burundi.

Volunteer Turkish physicians provided free dental treatment to over 900 patients in the cities of Gitega and Bujumbura.

As part of the program, free toothbrushes and toothpaste were distributed to patients, especially children. Patients also received training on oral and dental care.

Burundian dentists and nurses had the opportunity to enhance their experience and update their knowledge by participating in the activities conducted by Turkish doctors.

“GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO BURUNDI HEALTH SYSTEM”

At the program’s closing, a press conference was held with significant participation from Burundian media, including Burundian National Radio and Television (RTNB). Speaking at the meeting, Bonne Action Foundation Coordinator Aimable Nsindayikengera thanked TİKA, the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Bujumbura and TADD, emphasizing that the organization has made a substantial contribution to the Burundian health system. He noted that this effort is especially meaningful for impoverished individuals who otherwise have no hope of receiving treatment.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).

Jane Mulewa Mwale 89, is a proud mother of 10 and a grandmother to many. For the last 42 years, her life has been marred with shame and isolation, as a result of living with obstetric fistula, a hole between the birth canal and bladder and/or rectum. “I delivered all my babies at home, and following the birth of my tenth child, I realized that I could not hold my stool or urine. That is when my life took a turn for the worst,” says Jane. 

Fistula is caused by prolonged, obstructed labour without access to timely, high-quality medical treatment. It’s hard for Jane to recall what went wrong during the birth of her last born child, but the long and painful journey to treatment is one that she recounts vividly. “At first I thought I had been bewitched, and later I thought I had contracted HIV. I went to the hospital many times, but no one could tell me what was wrong,” she says. Jane resorted to wearing many layers of clothes at once with the hope of masking the smell, and when this didn’t work, she decided to isolate herself from the community,  in order to avoid stigma from friends.

In 2023, Jane was listening to the radio when a public service announcement came on. “It was an announcement about a free fistula treatment camp, and the symptoms they listed were exactly what I was suffering from,” she says. Following a screening, she was diagnosed with fistula and underwent reconstructive surgery. Now living free from the condition, Jane has become a champion in her village of Kitise, Makueni County, raising awareness of fistula, and supporting women and girls in the community to access information and care.

As part of this year’s events to mark  International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, UNFPA partnered with the County Government of Makueni, Amref Health Africa, Flying Doctors’ Society of Africa, Mpesa Foundation, and Jhpiego to hold a free fistula camp at the Makueni County Referral Hospital.  More than 280 patients were screened with 87 admitted for further care. A team of fistula surgeons performed 83 successful fistula repair surgeries, restoring dignity to women and girls who have been living with the condition. 

“With only six years left to meet the global goal to End Obstetric Fistula by 2030, as called for by UN Member States, the burden of disease is still unacceptably high,” said UNFPA representative Anders Thomsen. “Investing in trained midwives, quality emergency obstetric and newborn care and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services will bring us closer to the goal.”

With support from the UNFPA Maternal and Newborn Health Thematic Fund, thousands of women and girls have been able to access free fistula screening and treatment in Kenya. Fistula survivors have also received reintegration services, including psychological support, skills training and small grants to start businesses. UNFPA also supports the training of health workers, including surgeons, midwives, nurses and community health workers who play a crucial role in treating fistula and preventing its occurrence.  

“Fistula repair surgery changed my life,” says Jane. “As a survivor, I can only urge  other women with similar conditions to go seek medical attention and not to lose hope as it is never too late.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UNFPA Kenya.

Listening to the soulful singing of young women and girls in Nomzamo township in Strand, Cape Town, South Africa, and watching their jubilant dancing, it would be difficult to guess the complex and life-threatening challenges they have faced in their young lives. These girls and women, members of the Young Women for Life Movement, have every reason to be ecstatic; they are extricating themselves from the cycle of poverty and the effects of HIV/AIDS and GBV in a country where women are disproportionately affected by HIV.

Of the nearly 7.5 million adults living with HIV in South Africa by 2021, nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) were women, with black women aged 25-34 years having the highest prevalence, at 31.6 per cent, and highest incidence, at 4.5 per cent according to data from The Lancet. While the infection rate has dropped from 14 per cent in 2017 to slightly less than 13 per cent in 2022, according to the Human Sciences Research Council’s 2023 data, the rates are still quite high, translating to more than 1 in 10 persons living with HIV in South Africa.

This feminized HIV epidemic is mostly due to high levels of inequality. South Africa has the highest income inequality in the world, according to the World Bank. Unemployment is rampant, and many women and girls do not have good economic prospects. For many, this makes them vulnerable to risky sexual behavior as they struggle to survive. This is compounded by high rates of GBV in the area and in the country in general. Young women and girls in Strand area’s townships know this all too well.

“Before I got wind of the Young Women for Life Movement, I had given up on life,” said Sinesipho, fondly referred to as “Shorty” due to her pint size by members of the group that she now considers her sisterhood. Sinesipho Petshana had a difficult background at home, low self-esteem, and was engaging in risky sexual behaviour out of desperation to help make ends meet.

“By speaking with me about my potential and growing my skills through training, the group changed my mind and this helped me change my life,” she said. Now working as a cashier in a retail store in Cape Town, she is proud of how far she has come and calls the Young Women for Life Movement a lifesaver.

Started in 2019 as an informal group of just eight young women and girls aged 15 to 28 who wanted to give each other moral support, the Young Women for Life Movement has now impacted 8,000 girls in South Africa alone. Convened by the Southern Africa Catholic Bishops’ Conference and Peace Commission, the movement is supported by UN Women through funding from the Unified Budget, Results and Accountability Framework (UBRAF) as part of the outreach under the HeForShe campaign.

Through its partnership with Work4aLiving, a skills-building programme and one of the three pillars of the Young Women for Life Movement, the community group has trained women and girls in Nomzamo Township in entrepreneurship, financial management, baking, and other skills to help them begin to earn an income and become self-sufficient. Earlier this year, 70 girls graduated from a hospitality course offered under the Movement. Many of them have already secured jobs in the city.

Guguletu Mdoba (Gugu), 29, another member of the Movement, is a shining example of how the girls and young women are pulling themselves out of poverty. Now a renowned baker in the area, Gugu’s products are so popular that she can barely keep up with her customers’ orders. Training on financial literacy helped her learn how to save and budget, and she has used this new knowledge to expand her enterprise. This year, she bought a bigger kitchen stove and also began training other young women and girls in the area to bake, which is having a positive ripple effect on their household incomes. Overwhelmed with demand, she is now expanding into a more established fast-food shop.

“Some of the girls and young women in the group are living with HIV,” said Phindile Maseko, Coordinator of the Young Women for Life Movement, who the members call Sis. Phindile, meaning Sister, out of admiration. “They were so discouraged when we met them that they had even stopped taking antiretroviral (ARV) medication as they felt that they had nothing to live for,” said Phindile, who also serves as the Facilitator of Work4aLiving.

The COVID-19 pandemic further complicated the situation for these girls. Like elsewhere on the globe, the pandemic wreaked havoc on incomes and livelihoods in this already vulnerable township, driving many families into hunger. The effects were complex as lack of access to meals severely interfered with ARV compliance.

With support from UN Women and partners, girls and young women from the Movement managed to access seedlings and technical know-how to start small-scale vegetable farming. The project thrived and now not only caters for the members, their families, and the community, but also generates income through the supply of fresh produce to shops.

What started as a small circle of 80 girls in 2019 has become a movement of 8,000 girls in South Africa alone. The project is expanding to Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana and also starting a chapter in Namibia.

“The Young Women for Life project demonstrates that it is possible to reduce HIV infections and end the cycle of risky behaviour and violence,” said Jacqueline Utamuriza-Nzisabira, HIV/AIDS Specialist for UN Women East and Southern Africa and the manager of this project, “These girls decided to take their lives into their own hands and are no longer on a destructive path that was going nowhere.”

The young women’s and girls’ rallying cry, “Asinaluvalo”, meaning “We are not afraid”, is testament to their resilience and newfound hope.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Women – Africa.