Ismaili Center Dushanbe (Tajikistan) hosts World Bank’s Chief Economist

Dushanbe, Tajikistan, April 5, 2013 -The challenge of reducing extreme poverty and building shared prosperity was the major theme of the official visit of Mr. Kaushik Basu, the World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Development Economics, who visited Tajikistan on April 4-5. The role of public policy in achieving the ambitious target of ending extreme poverty by 2030, laid out by the World Bank Group President Jim Kim, was discussed by Mr. Basu in the context of Tajikistan in his meetings with the top leadership of Tajikistan, donors, civil society and the public.

“Although economic growth is likely to be the main driver of poverty reduction, in most countries, markets cannot do it alone,” said Mr. Basu during his public lecture held in the Ismaili Center in Dushanbe on April 5.

via World Bank Group : World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Development Economics Visits Tajikistan.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture and World Bank withdraw from major Pakistani project

LAHORE, April 28: The Walled City Development Project is without a head these days and its two main supporting pillars, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the World Bank, are withdrawing in June and November, respectively, this year.

Project Director General Naheed Rizvi has retired from service on April 23 and the seat is vacant ever since. She was given the post on February 20, last year.

Sources claim that the absence of director general and the notified withdrawal of the two main international bodies supporting the project have put Walled City development at stake.

More ‘Headless’ Walled City project to lose partners | DAWN.COM.

Dr. Rafik Hirji, World Bank, presents at World Wildlife Fund Symposium

Senior Water Resources Management Specialist

Environment Department and the Africa Water Resources Management Initiative, World Bank

Dr. Rafik Hirji is currently leading the preparation of the World Bank’s global sector analysis on groundwater governance. His extensive experience includes leading the Sustainable Development Network’s agenda on water and environment by promoting operational tools for sustainable utilization and management of rivers, lakes and aquifers. He was team leader for the global lake basin management initiative, sector analysis on strategic environmental assessments in water resources management, and sector analysis for the integration of environmental flows into water resources operations and water policy dialogue.

via WWF – The Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Fund – 2009 Science for Nature Symposium Speakers.

Aga Khan Rural Support Program: First community-based Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project – Carbon Expo in Germany

Least developed countries & community access to CDM/climate finance/adaptation funds: Pakistan case study

This side event session is co-sponsored by the Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP) & World Bank

This session will highlight the community engagement aspect in climate finance and CDM. Not only will it highlight the potential of community contribution/benefits to climate change efforts by projects like the AKRSP community micro-hydroelectric project, but it will also detail actual issues encountered. Issues and hurdles that communities and LDCs have run into in accessing the CDM as a result of UNFCCC rules and procedures will be discussed. Pakistan will be used as a case study of typical LDC and community access issues. As one of the hardest hit countries by climate change that is home to the Himalayan glaciers that are melting, its situation is an important one to consider.

http://ismailimail.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/carbon-expo-cologne-germany.pdf

Uganda’s Bujagali Hydropower

AKDN in Uganda

Aleem Walji, Innovation Practice Manager, World Bank

Aleem joined the World Bank Institute as Practice Manager for Innovation in November 2009. Previously, he was Head of Global Development Initiatives at Google.org and Chief Executive Officer of the Aga Khan Foundation in Syria. Aleem was trained as a social anthropologist and urban planner at Emory University and MIT. For fun, Aleem flies kites with his 3 year old, plays tennis, and finds cool apps for his iPhone.

Aleem Walji on Development Marketplace
by Tom Grubisich from Climate Change Blog

Aleem Walji is the new Innovation Practice Manager at the World Bank Institute, which includes the secretariat for the Development Marketplace consortium and other innovation platforms. He is former Head of Global Development Initiatives at Google. The peripatetic Walji sat down for this mini-interview as DM2009 was winding up:

http://beta.worldbank.org/node/5146
http://blogs.worldbank.org/dmblog/team/aleem-walji

International Finance Corporation signed an agreement with Aga Khan Foundation

Islamabad, Pakistan, January 19, 2010—IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, today signed an agreement with the Aga Khan Foundation in Pakistan (AKF(P)) to support the growth of smaller businesses in Pakistan by providing training and skills development to businessmen and women in the country.

IFC and AKF(P), will partner to offer IFC’s Business Edge management training product to Pakistani entrepreneurs seeking to grow their businesses.

IFC will train 20 Business Edge trainers who will be selected by AKF(P). These trainers will then deliver Business Edge training for small and medium enterprises at workshops to be held between July and November 2010 in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. For more information about Business Edge see http://www.businessedge-me.com.

Al-Nashir Jamal, AKF(P)’s CEO, said, “Business training not only benefits businesses, but those employed by them by giving individuals the skills they need to find employment. This partnership with IFC will help fill a gap in business management training in Pakistan, helping entrepreneurs gain the skills they need to grow their businesses.”

via International Finance Corporation – Search Press Releases (English).

World Bank Profile on Amin and Gulzar Shivji

Forced out of Uganda by Idi Amin during the expulsion of Asians in 1972, Amin Shivji and his wife Gulzar found a home away from home in Canada. While there, Shivji took a special interest in organic foods. He eventually set up eight organic food stores across Canada, which still are in operation today.

In 1994, the Shivjis decided to return to Uganda to their 430-acre family farm. The couple began growing organic fruit.

“Our children think we are silly to be here, but because we have always believed in Uganda, we want to contribute to the growth of this country,” said Shivji.

The Shivji’s AMFRI Farms, also known as African Organic, is today one of the largest exporters of organic fresh and dried fruits to mainly Europe and the Middle East.

More: http://web.worldbank.org/ – Earlier related

Harvard Associate-Professor and former AKF Scholar Alnoor Ebrahim invited to testify before U.S. House of Representatives on reform, accountability efforts at World Bank

Testimony of Alnoor Ebrahim, Associate Professor Harvard University Before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives September 10, 2009, Washington, D.C. On The World Bank’s Disclosure Policy Review, and the Role of Democratic Participatory Processes in Achieving Successful Development Outcomes

Chairman Frank, Ranking Member Bachus, and members of the Committee: Thank you for inviting me to testify before you. My name is Alnoor Ebrahim, and I am an Associate Professor at Harvard Business School and a Principal of the Hauser Center For Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University. I have worked as a consultant to the World Bank as well as to a number of international non-governmental organizations. My testimony focuses on reform and accountability efforts undertaken at the World Bank over the past fifteen years …

More… http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/ebrahim.pdf

Professor Ebrahim is author of the award-winning book, NGOs and Organizational Change: Discourse, Reporting, and Learning (Cambridge University Press, 2003 and 2005), and is co-editor, with Edward Weisband, of Global Accountabilities: Participation, Pluralism, and Public Ethics (Cambridge University Press, 2007), which compares accountability dilemmas in nonprofits, business, and government. He has been the recipient of awards for best article in the journals Nonprofit Management and Leadership, and the Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly.

EXPERIENCE
8/91 – 2/92 Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, India
Fellow, International Development Management, Aga Khan Foundation Canada
Worked with an NGO in western India on developing a village institutions monitoring system,
impact studies, and a regional sustainable agriculture network.

http://drfd.hbs.edu/fit/public/facultyInfo.do?facInfo=bio&facId=396876
http://ksgfaculty.harvard.edu/faculty/cv/AlnoorEbrahim.pdf

World Bank Grant Competition Awards to Grassroots Initiatives to Address Undernutrition in South Asia

Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan and Aga Khan Health Services, India among the winners.

Dhaka, August 5, 2009 ─ Twenty-one civil society organizations from across South Asia won grants today from an $840,000 award pool funded by the South Asia Region Development Marketplace (DM). The winners received up to $40,000 each to implement innovative ideas on how to improve nutrition in their respective countries.

http://web.worldbank.org

Prince Amyn Aga Khan speaks at the 10th German World Bank Forum in Frankfurt

Statement by Prince Amyn Aga Khan at the 10th German World Bank Forum “The Asian Century: Challenges in the Economic Crisis” (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 20: Prince Amyn Aga Khan, chairman of the Aga Khan Fund for economic development executive committee, speaks at the 10th German World Bank Forum in Frankfurt on November 20, 2008 in Frankfurt am Main. Challenges in the economic crisis and the role of Asia were the main themes of the forum. (Photo by Mario Vedder/Getty Images)

Source

IFC to assist the First Microfinance Bank to pioneer access to Housing Finance in Afghanistan

Kabul, Afghanistan, October 7, 2008—IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, today signed an agreement with the First MicroFinanceBank, Afghanistan (FMFB) to strengthen the bank’s capacity to introduce a product line that will address the housing needs of low- and middle-income Afghans.

Most microfinance institutions and banks in Afghanistan do not offer housing loans, and traditional housing finance is limited because the existing legal and regulatory infrastructure does not support mortgage lending. To bridge this gap, IFC and FMFB will join forces to ensure that low- and middle-income families and individuals have access to affordable housing loans. IFC plans to recruit an advisor to work closely with FMFB to develop sound operational policies and guidelines necessary for building a sustainable housing portfolio.

Muslim-ul-Haq, CEO of FMFB, said, “We are confident that with IFC’s technical assistance, we can offer products that help meet the housing needs of the majority of Afghans who currently do not have access to housing finance.”

–snip–

First Microfinance Bank (FMFB) is part of the Aga Khan Agency of Microfinance (AKAM), a not-for-profit, non-denominational, international development agency.

Complete at the source: World Bank
IFC.org

World Bank Provides Additional Funding to Support Sustainable Operation of the Pamir Power Plant

WASHINGTON, July 31, 2008 – The World Bank Board of Executive Directors today approved a US$2.5 million grant in additional financing for the Pamir Private Power Project. The additional financing will help cover the costs associated with a financing gap caused by the unexpected need to restore and repair equipment and facilities damaged by flooding at the Pamir 1 Hydro Power Plant (HPP) in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) of Tajikistan. The financing will also enable the project company Pamir Energy (PEC) to complete the original project scope by focusing on rehabilitation of plant infrastructure and provision of parts and equipment to ensure the plant’s long-term sustained operation and prevent further accidents.

Pamir 1 HPP accounts for 75% of the capacity in the main grid system of GBAO, which is operated by Pamir Energy (PEC), a fully privately owned special purpose company, under a 25-year concession given by the Government of Tajikistan to operate and further develop all existing electricity generation, transmission, and distribution facilities in GBAO. The concession was developed under the Pamir Private Power Project (PPPP), which is a successful public-private partnership between the Government, the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AWED), as the main private sponsor, and the IFC.

World Bank

Pakistan: International Conference on ‘School Safety’ concludes

ISLAMABAD, May 17 (APP): The three-day, International School Safety Conference concluded here on Saturday.

International participants presented a set of practical recommendations for submission to the Federal Government as well as to private stake-holders to build Safe Schools to ensure protection and safety of our future generations.

The conference was organized as part of Golden Jubilee celebrations commemorating fifty years of Imamat of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan in which a number of initiatives, programmes and developmental projects are being organized both nationally and internationally.

Participants of the conference included representatives of agencies of United Nations, the World Bank Group, BASIN Network, ADPC, the Swiss Development Agency, Austrian Development Association, Institute of Architects Pakistan, Ministry of Education, various agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network, as well as participants from local, international and government agencies.

<snip>

In his concluding remarks, Hafiz Sherali, Chairman Aga Khan Planning and Building Service, Pakistan, highlighted the work of the Aga Khan Development Network and its experience in handling challenging situations and building partnerships with civil societies and government.

The participants also observed a moment of silence in memory of those who have lost their lives in recent earthquakes.

Addressing the audience, Mr.Sherali said that, ?in order to transform the recommendations of the conference made by the experts into action, I would like to announce that in collaboration with East Midland Housing Limited, a private Foundation in United Kingdom, this year “we plan to retrofit five schools and 40 houses in rural communities”.

The organizers of the conference the Aga Khan Planning and Building Service, Pakistan and Focus Humanitarian Assistance, thanked their sponsors, government and non-government partners for their commitment, support and encouragement in making the conference a success.

They reiterated their conviction for taking the school safety initiative forward in their institutional programming across Pakistan and neighboring regions.

Complete story at source

Related

Pakistan’s Secretary MINFAL and AKRSP at Launch of World Bank’s World Development Report 2008

Saturday, May 17, 2008

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is committed to achieving the Millennium Development Goal of halving hunger and poverty by 2015 with a focus on achieving sustainable food security through increasing productivity, encouraging entrepreneurial agriculture and introducing income diversification interventions at the farm level.

Secretary Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL) Ziaur Rahman said while addressing as chief guest at the official launch of the World Development Report 2008, at a local hotel on Friday.

Yusupha Crookes, World Bank Director, Pakistan, Sector Manager of the World Bank Adolfo Brizzi, Izhar Ali Hunzai of the Aga Khan Rural Supports Programme also spoke. The secretary MINFAL, appreciating the World Development Report 2008, said.

“Pakistan welcomes the World Bank Report and its focus on agriculture.”

He added that Pakistan also supports the conclusions of the report and encourages the World Bank to promote these findings with all the stakeholders in other developing and developed countries. Rehman further said that the World Bank report has made a detailed analysis of the agriculture sector and focuses on policy reforms which would help deal with the emerging challenges in the field of agriculture.

The Report on Agriculture, he said, has come belatedly after 25 years and in the meanwhile the agriculture sector has undergone metamorphic changes and diversification.

The fact that the World Bank has decided to publish this report through belatedly is an acknowledgement that agriculture is poised to play a dominant role in the world economy, he remarked.

He said the report has come at a juncture when food security of a large number of nations across the globe is at stake because of recurrent food shortages and price hike.

He added that the unprecedented increase in energy and DAP fertiliser prices are impacting the sustainability of agricultural production. The Secretary MINFAL said that a vast, varied and rapidly changing, agriculture sector offers new opportunities to hundreds of millions of rural poor to move out of poverty by engaging them in small holders farming, animal husbandry and employing in high value agriculture and non-farm economy.

Source

Pakistan’s Secretary MINFAL and AKRSP at Launch of World Bank’s World Development Report 2008

Saturday, May 17, 2008

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is committed to achieving the Millennium Development Goal of halving hunger and poverty by 2015 with a focus on achieving sustainable food security through increasing productivity, encouraging entrepreneurial agriculture and introducing income diversification interventions at the farm level.

Secretary Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL) Ziaur Rahman said while addressing as chief guest at the official launch of the World Development Report 2008, at a local hotel on Friday.

Yusupha Crookes, World Bank Director, Pakistan, Sector Manager of the World Bank Adolfo Brizzi, Izhar Ali Hunzai of the Aga Khan Rural Supports Programme also spoke. The secretary MINFAL, appreciating the World Development Report 2008, said.

“Pakistan welcomes the World Bank Report and its focus on agriculture.”

He added that Pakistan also supports the conclusions of the report and encourages the World Bank to promote these findings with all the stakeholders in other developing and developed countries. Rehman further said that the World Bank report has made a detailed analysis of the agriculture sector and focuses on policy reforms which would help deal with the emerging challenges in the field of agriculture.

The Report on Agriculture, he said, has come belatedly after 25 years and in the meanwhile the agriculture sector has undergone metamorphic changes and diversification.

The fact that the World Bank has decided to publish this report through belatedly is an acknowledgement that agriculture is poised to play a dominant role in the world economy, he remarked.

He said the report has come at a juncture when food security of a large number of nations across the globe is at stake because of recurrent food shortages and price hike.

He added that the unprecedented increase in energy and DAP fertiliser prices are impacting the sustainability of agricultural production. The Secretary MINFAL said that a vast, varied and rapidly changing, agriculture sector offers new opportunities to hundreds of millions of rural poor to move out of poverty by engaging them in small holders farming, animal husbandry and employing in high value agriculture and non-farm economy.

Source

1 Million Dollar World Bank Administered Japanese Grant for Northern Pakistan

Islamabad, Pakistan, 17 January 2008 ─ A US$959,239 grant was signed with Aga Khan Foundation today to alleviate economic and social poverty in Northern Pakistan through improvement in housing and living conditions. This initiative will be implemented by Aga Khan Planning and Building Service, (AKPBS, P) under their Building and Construction Improvement Programme (BACIP). AKPBS, P has been a winner of 2005 ALCAN Prize for Sustainability and the 2006 BSHF World Habitat Award for its efforts to improve water and sanitation projects and for improving housing conditions in Pakistan. This project is part of the World Bank administered Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) which funds innovative projects that provide direct assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable groups.

Complete at akdn.org

Earlier related blog post

Related posts under Aga Khan Planning & Building Services

The New Nation Bangladesh

Aga Khan Foundation, World Bank ink accord for poverty alleviation

ISLAMABAD (January 18 2008): A $959,239 grant was signed with Aga Khan Foundation on Thursday to alleviate economic and social poverty in Northern Pakistan through improvement in housing and living conditions. This initiative will be implemented by Aga Khan Planning and Building Service, (AKPBS, P) under their Building and Construction Improvement Programme (BACIP).

AKPBS, P has been a winner of 2005 ALCAN Prize for Sustainability and the 2005 BSHF World Habitat Award for its efforts to improve water and sanitation projects and for improving housing conditions in Pakistan.

This project is part of the World Bank administered Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) which funds innovative projects that provide assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable groups. Seiji Kojima, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan said that he is very glad to witness the signing of the agreement between the World Bank and Aga Khan Foundation.

Source

IFC & DEG will invest in AKFED’s TPS-Rwanda

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and DEG, a member of KfW Bankengruppe, today announced that they will invest in Tourism Promotion Services Rwanda, owner of the country’s Serena Hotels. The $12 million investment will help improve business and tourism infrastructure in Rwanda, contributing significantly to economic growth.

Tourism Promotion Services Rwanda has signed a 30-year lease agreement with the government to manage and operate the Kigali Serena and the Lake Kivu Serena hotels. The company will use the funds to finance the lease, rehabilitate the two hotels, as well as expand the Kigali Serena.

Demand for hotel accommodation in Rwanda is growing rapidly due to increased foreign aid and a better business environment, as well as tourist attractions and the country’s popularity as a meeting and conference destination. The current shortage of quality accommodations hinders the country’s economic development. The IFC-DEG investment will help address the supply-demand imbalance.

Tourism Promotion Services Rwanda is a subsidiary of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, which has a solid reputation and extensive experience working in the tourism sector in Africa and Asia. The fund operates 28 Serena hotels, resorts, and safari lodges through its subsidiaries in Afghanistan, Kenya, Mozambique, Pakistan, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

“This investment will contribute to developing a sustainable tourism industry in East Africa,” said Jan Mohamed, Managing Director of Tourism Promotion Services.

“Several value-added programs will complement the investment, enhancing the development impact of the project significantly,” said Dimitris Tsitsiragos, IFC Director for Global Manufacturing and Services. “IFC’s role reflects our commitment to promoting and supporting Rwanda’s nascent tourism industry.”

“The project will provide extensive training in hotel management and create more jobs, helping sustain employment and improve standards in the country,” added Hubertus Graf von Plettenberg, First Vice President of Manufacturing and Services at DEG.

Webwire

Eastern Standard

Construction of Bujagali officially begins

23 August 2007

Construction of the 250MW Bujagali hydro project on the White Nile river in Uganda has been officially launched.

The plant has been planned for years and finally its construction should be completed in 44 months at an estimated cost of US$772M. Turnkey contractor on the project, Italian firm Salini, is to have the plant commissioned in 2011.

President Yoweri Museveni launched the start of the construction phase at a ceremony where he laid the foundation stone. The scheme is being developed by Bujagali Energy, which comprises: Industrial Promotion Services (Kenya), the industrial development arm of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development; and, Sithe Global Power LLC. The official ceremony was also attended by the Aga Khan.

Funding for the run-of river project has been committed by the International Finance Corp, the World Bank via the International Development Association, the European Investment Bank, the African Development Bank and also the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency to shareholder Sithe Global Power.

World Bank approval of the project earlier this year initiated a wave of financial backing and paved the way for the project, conceived and in early development in the early 1990s, to finally get started.

Source