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World Bank Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa Victoria Kwakwa will arrive for a four-day visit to Zimbabwe on Thursday, February 29, 2024.
The visit, her first to the country, comes as the World Bank is developing a new Country Engagement Note that will underpin work for the next two years. Through targeted interventions to ensure macroeconomic stability and build resilience, the Bank is committed to working with Zimbabwe to achieve its development goals.
Ms. Kwakwa will visit Harare before heading to Victoria Falls to join the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Conference of Ministers of Finance and Economic Planning in Africa.
In Harare, Ms. Kwakwa will have the opportunity to engage with government officials and stakeholders, including women and youth entrepreneurs, the private sector, and development partners, to discuss the World Bank’s current and future engagement in Zimbabwe. In Victoria Falls, she will meet and engage with government officials working on expanding the tourism industry and the private sector in Victoria Falls and Livingstone.
“This visit reaffirms our partnership with the government and the people of Zimbabwe. Through knowledge, technical assistance, and partnerships, the Bank continues contributing to the country’s development agenda,” said Victoria Kwakwa, World Bank Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa.
During her visit, Dr. Kwakwa will join the launch of two core knowledge products for Zimbabwe – the Country Climate Development Report (CCDR) and the Country Private Sector Diagnostic Report (CPSD). The CCDR closely examines the interplay between development and climate change and suggests concrete, priority actions to support Zimbabwe’s low-carbon, resilient transition. The CPSD provides in-depth economic analyses that identify opportunities for the private sector to maximize development impact, guide future investments, and inform policy reform agenda to enable private sector-led economic growth.
The World Bank’s active portfolio in the country includes two health projects and an energy project currently under development, along with technical assistance support to the following sectors: health, agriculture, poverty monitoring, social protection, skills, private and financial sector, water, and tourism.
Zimbabwe, among a few other countries, is currently in arrears to the World Bank Group and, therefore, cannot receive traditional financing through the International Development Association (IDA) or International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). For countries not current on their debt service, support can only be provided through trust funds. Trust-funded activities in Zimbabwe are implemented primarily through our technical assistance programs and local or international partners on the ground.