Statement by Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh at the 112th Meeting of the Development Committee held on October 16, 2025

Overview & Synopsis

Statement by Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh at the 112th Meeting of the Development Committee held on October 16, 2025. On behalf of the Africa II Group, I welcome the renewed focus on jobs. After addressing the role of the private sector in powering jobs, during the Spring Meetings, this update on the essential role of the public sector, especially the vital role of IDA and IBRD to help countries lay the ground for the jobs agenda, is welcome. We need decent and good-paying jobs, especially for the youth and women, to confront global challenges and ensure our shared prosperity and stability. Developing countries face daunting challenges such as debt and deficits, fiscal constraints, the impact of geopolitical and trade tensions, fragility, conflicts and violence, illegal migration, climate shocks and environmental degradation. In Sub Saharan Africa, the World Bank Group estimates that 620 million young people will become working-age adults by 2050. Besides, SSA is home to two-thirds of the World’s poor, and 85 per cent of people without access to electricity. Over the same decade, Africa will be home to more than a quarter of the World’s youth. Africa II Group remains committed to working with the World Bank Group on reforms designed to achieve structural economic transformation and sustainable growth. In this context, IDA's concessional resources are essential to ensure investments in the most vulnerable countries while preserving debt sustainability. We need to lend critical support to LICs and small states as they strive to adapt and build resilience to natural disasters and climate change. We also need to remain engaged in situations of fragility, conflict and violence, in line with the WBG Strategy, especially given that 60 per cent of people living in extreme poverty will be in FVC countries, by 2030.