Economics & Development

Girls and young women in Sub-Saharan Africa face multiple, inter-related challenges. They are more likely to live in poverty than men, have less access to education and health services, and rarely benefit from productive economic opportunities. Restrictive social norms exacerbate material constraints by defining what is considered acceptable of what girls and women can and cannot do. Policies and programs aimed at empowering girls and women can help break the cycle of poverty and support this population in achieving their dreams. To inform the design and implementation of gender equality interventions in Zambia, this research asks girls and women (aged 15-35 years) in vulnerable populations about their dreams to complete education, to have a job, to get married, and form a family. Information on girls’ aspirations is critical to ensure program objectives align with the goals of the beneficiaries. Recognizing that girls’ and women are often influenced by their social environment, the research also interviews the people around them, to compare girls’ aspirations and attitudes to their community’s expectations and social norms, and to identify who in girls’ circles of influence can be leveraged as an agent of change to support girls to achieve their dreams.

Argentina is emerging from a period of severe macroeconomic instability marked by high inflation, weak growth, and mounting social pressures, and recent stabilization efforts have begun to restore confidence even as poverty risks, labor market informality, competitiveness challenges, and climate vulnerabilities persist. In the coming years, the World Bank Group will focus on sustaining macroeconomic stabilization by strengthening fiscal institutions and rules, improving the tax structure, advancing pension reform, and supporting a credible and rules-based monetary and exchange framework to anchor expectations and deepen the financial sector. The agenda will promote gradual integration with the global economy by fostering competition and innovation, reducing trade and logistics costs, improving trade facilitation, and developing capital markets and access to finance, while addressing critical connectivity gaps and infrastructure needs, particularly in lagging regions. Priority will be given to catalyzing private investment in sectors where the country has comparative advantage, including energy, mining, tourism, and agriculture, supported by better provision of public goods and an improved business environment. To strengthen skills and human resilience, the focus will include improving education quality with an emphasis on foundational learning and effective teaching, aligning active labor market programs with employer needs, expanding opportunities for women through better access to care services, and modernizing worker protection with more effective unemployment support. Health sector engagement will aim to enhance primary care integration, digital health, and prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases. Social protection will be made more efficient and better targeted to protect the poor during fiscal consolidation, with improved coordination across institutions and stronger data systems to address regional and intergenerational imbalances. To reduce vulnerability to shocks and advance green growth, support will prioritize climate-smart agriculture, improved water resource management, resilient waterways and urban infrastructure, expansion of renewable energy and transmission, energy efficiency, and sustainable and inclusive mining of critical minerals. Across these areas, the World Bank Group will help close key knowledge and data gaps to inform policy, sharpen targeting, and enable private sector–led growth.