english section 2 - african development bank

What the press is saying – 01 – 05 July 2013

Ce qu’en dit la presse – 01 au 05 juillet 2013

Extraits électroniques / Electronic extracts

11

Sommaire / Headlines

Le Groupe de la BAD n’assume aucune responsabilité quant au contenu des articles sélectionnés dans cette revue de presse, destinée exclusivement à l’usage interne du Groupe de la BAD sur 18

English Section 2

AfDB facilitates Africa-Asia knowledge exchange on Universal Health Coverage – African Brains 3

July 2013 by Marc Mcilhone ........................................................................................................... 2

AfDB to Deepen Reforms that are Key to ‘Power Africa' Success – PR Newswire 3 July 2013 ..... 4

Development Banks Step Up Lending For Hydropower, Sustainability Remains Focus – Bloomber 3

July 2013 By Andrea Vittorio .......................................................................................................... 5

Tanzania: African Bank Boss in Tanzania – East African Business Week 1 July 2013 ................ 12

Obama on equality and industrialisation in Africa – The Africa Report 1 July 2013 By Konye Obaji

Ori .................................................................................................................................................. 13

Section française 114

Les Égyptiens dans la rue sur fond de crise économique et sociale – Radio Canada 3 juillet 201314

Tunisie : quid de la mission au Fonds vert pour le climat ? Investir en Tunisie 3 juillet 2013 .... 15

Infrastructures de transport: Les nouveaux projets de la Bad - Cameroon Tribune 3 juillet 2013 par

Sorèle GUEBEDIANG ................................................................................................................... 16

Bonne tenue de l’activité économique dans l’Uemoa – Le Soleil 2 juillet 2013 ........................... 17

La BAD et le Fonds pour l’environnement mondial renforcent l’adaptation au changement climatique

avec 33,58 millions de dollars EU – PR Newswire 2 juillet 2013 ................................................. 18

/ 18

La BAD dans la presse du 1 au 5 juillet 2013

AfDB in the Press 1-5 July 2013

English Section

AfDB facilitates Africa-Asia knowledge exchange on Universal Health Coverage –

African Brains 3 July 2013 by Marc Mcilhone

Universal health coverage is not an option, but a reality’

“Poverty still remains a major barrier to healthcare access in Africa”, said Dr. Agnes Soucat, Director,

Human Development Department of the African Development Bank (http://www.afdb.org) setting the

tone for the Africa-Asia dialogue on achieving Universal Health Coverage in Africa that took place in

Lusaka, Zambia from June 25 to 28, 2013.

During this rich 4-day experience, participants benefitted from lessons learnt on health financing

reforms in Cape Verde, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Senegal,

Singapore, South Africa and Thailand.

The purpose of the dialogue was to strengthen the delivery and financing of health services in Africa by

helping countries build coherent, efficient, equitable and sustainable health financing systems based on

prepayment, pooling and strategic spending for progressively achieving Universal Health Coverage.

‘Universal health coverage is not an option, but a reality’, said the Honorable Joseph Kasonde, Minister

of Health, Zambia. “The forum created a revolution by enabling the Ministries of Health and Finance to

sit together and dialogue”, he added.

Malaysia continues to make remarkable progress in providing health care for the poorest. Universal

health coverage was made possible through a tax-funded health financing system in Malaysia said Dr.

Davis Johnraj, Senior Assistant Director, Malaysian Ministry of Health.

Thailand attributed its achievements to a unified health insurance model. Ghana, on the other hand,

shared its progress towards universal coverage through a tax-based health insurance system. Mr.

Sylvester Mensah, CEO of the Ghana National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) advised African

countries to avoid difficulties faced by Ghana, in particular in the design of the benefits package which

is ambitious and difficult to sustain.

Senegal, South Africa and Ethiopia essentially shared their current reform pathway as it is still work in

progress and tried to test their reform propositions.

Cape Verde suggested ways to hold dialogue with the Ministry of Finance to draw innovative tax

resources into the health sector.

Four main outcomes were realized at the end of the conference for each of the participating countries:

• Understanding of the key factors behind successes and failures as well as limitations of different

health financing approaches.

• Identification of strategic options in designing, redesigning and strengthening health financing

reforms aimed at universal health coverage.

• Prioritization of critical areas of need to undertake health financing reform requiring Bank and

other donor support.

http://africanbrains.net/author/marc/

http://www.afdb.org/

/ 18



• Development of partnerships among various key development partners in lending support to

African countries

Group work sessions formed the backbone of the dialogue, where country experiences were applied to

the respective African country settings to test their applicability. Areas requiring immediate attention in

each participating country were highlighted and discussed alongside possible solutions.

Hosted by the Human Development Department of the African Development Bank, in collaboration

with the Zambian Ministry of Health, the German International Cooperation (GIZ), the International

Labour Organization (ILO), the World Health Organization (WHO), Providing for Health (P4H) and the

World Bank, the Africa-Asia Dialogue brought together some 50 participants from Ministries of Finance

and Health, national health insurance authorities, academia, of both African and Asian countries as well

as development partners.

Countries from the Southern Africa region identified evidence-based policy development, knowledge

exchange, skills development and capacity development as the major areas requiring immediate

attention and donor support. The African Development Bank through its newly approved Strategy for

2013-2022 will support countries in building safety net programs and creating economic opportunities.

During this rich 4-day experience, participants benefitted from lessons learnt on health financing

reforms in Cape Verde, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Senegal,

Singapore, South Africa and Thailand.

The purpose of the dialogue was to strengthen the delivery and financing of health services in Africa by

helping countries build coherent, efficient, equitable and sustainable health financing systems based on

prepayment, pooling and strategic spending for progressively achieving Universal Health Coverage.

‘Universal health coverage is not an option, but a reality’, said the Honorable Joseph Kasonde, Minister

of Health, Zambia. “The forum created a revolution by enabling the Ministries of Health and Finance to

sit together and dialogue”, he added.

Malaysia continues to make remarkable progress in providing health care for the poorest. Universal

health coverage was made possible through a tax-funded health financing system in Malaysia said Dr.

Davis Johnraj, Senior Assistant Director, Malaysian Ministry of Health.

Thailand attributed its achievements to a unified health insurance model. Ghana, on the other hand,

shared its progress towards universal coverage through a tax-based health insurance system. Mr.

Sylvester Mensah, CEO of the Ghana National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) advised African

countries to avoid difficulties faced by Ghana, in particular in the design of the benefits package which

is ambitious and difficult to sustain.

Senegal, South Africa and Ethiopia essentially shared their current reform pathway as it is still work in

progress and tried to test their reform propositions.

Cape Verde suggested ways to hold dialogue with the Ministry of Finance to draw innovative tax

resources into the health sector.

Four main outcomes were realized at the end of the conference for each of the participating countries:

/ 18



• Understanding of the key factors behind successes and failures as well as limitations of different

health financing approaches.

• Identification of strategic options in designing, redesigning and strengthening health financing

reforms aimed at universal health coverage.

• Prioritization of critical areas of need to undertake health financing reform requiring Bank and

other donor support.

• Development of partnerships among various key development partners in lending support to

African countries

Group work sessions formed the backbone of the dialogue, where country experiences were applied to

the respective African country settings to test their applicability. Areas requiring immediate attention in

each participating country were highlighted and discussed alongside possible solutions.

Hosted by the Human Development Department of the African Development Bank, in collaboration

with the Zambian Ministry of Health, the German International Cooperation (GIZ), the International

Labour Organization (ILO), the World Health Organization (WHO), Providing for Health (P4H) and the

World Bank, the Africa-Asia Dialogue brought together some 50 participants from Ministries of Finance

and Health, national health insurance authorities, academia, of both African and Asian countries as well

as development partners.

Countries from the Southern Africa region identified evidence-based policy development, knowledge

exchange, skills development and capacity development as the major areas requiring immediate

attention and donor support. The African Development Bank through its newly approved Strategy for

2013-2022 will support countries in building safety net programs and creating economic opportunities.

Back to headlines / Retour au sommaire

AfDB to Deepen Reforms that are Key to ‘Power Africa' Success – PR Newswire 3 July

2013

The African Development Bank (AfDB) will, as part of its support for U.S. President Barack Obama's

Power Africa initiative, deepen and expand its work in reforming the energy sector.

Already a major investor in the energy sector, the AfDB will scale funding for energy production,

transmission and distribution infrastructure, cross-border power pools, as well as government policy and

regulatory reforms. The Bank will particularly emphasize reforms for national power utilities, many of

which are in need of better business models and financial reinforcement.

“We expect to allocate as much as $3 billion over the next 5 years. This will leverage at least 4 times

more investments in the energy sector. Our interventions will include investment loans, reforms,

advisory, and guarantees,” AfDB President Donald Kaberuka said in Dar es Salaam, in reference to

Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria -- the Power Africa priority countries.

“Reforms are the key,” Kaberuka said. “The billions of dollars available for investment in the energy

sector will translate into actual bulbs in people's homes and electricity necessary to grow small

/ 18



businesses if state utilities run efficiently and effectively. The policy reforms will facilitate and enhance

cross-border energy markets.”

The main financial source for the Bank's assistance to the energy sector in the Power Africa countries is

the African Development Fund (ADF), which is its concessional window. The ADF contributed $1.4

billion out of the Bank's $1.6 billion over the last five years in the six priority countries' energy

investments.

Addressing CEOs in Tanzania on 1 July, US President Barack Obama said that he saw Africa as the

next major success story and with Power Africa he wanted the US to be part of that success.

"So that's why… I announced Power Africa -- our initiative to double access to electricity in sub-

Saharan Africa. I want to thank the African Development Bank for its partnership, as well as many

companies that have stepped up with commitments, including some here,” President Obama said.

“And I have to say, those who are involved in this process, they continually tell us the problem is not

going to be private-sector financing. The problem is going to be getting the rules right, creating the

framework whereby we can build to scale rapidly. That's what we're committed to doing."

President Kaberuka welcomed the initiative: “Power Africa is a timely initiative and the Bank will work

with the six countries for a successful implementation.”


Development Banks Step Up Lending For Hydropower, Sustainability Remains Focus –

Bloomber 3 July 2013 By Andrea Vittorio

Leading multilateral development banks have recently stepped up financing of large hydropower

projects after a decade-long slowdown due to environmental and social concerns, according to an

analysis of bank data by BNA.

Lending by three major banks--the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the European Bank

for Reconstruction and Development--increased fivefold from 2003 to 2012, as hydropower has become

a popular source of renewable energy to satisfy growing demand for electricity in the developing world.

With the growth in hydropower financing, the banks have recognized the need to be sensitive to the

impact large-scale projects have on the environment and the lives of people living in areas surrounding

the dams. Over the past decade, the banks have either updated their own social and environmental

guidelines or adopted guidelines developed by others, at least partly in response to questions raised over

the costs of large hydro projects.

Financial support for large water infrastructure has traditionally come from the public sector, including

state-owned utilities and national governments, where advocacy groups say accountability for

environmental and social impacts may not be as strong, especially in developing countries.

Multilateral banks represent only a piece of the hydro financing puzzle--about 8 percent globally,

according to one estimate--but they are still an important component, analysts say.

Multilateral banks remain “very influential,” especially in the developing world, when it comes to

mitigating risks that would normally deter private sector participation, such as legal frameworks,

mailto:[email protected]

/ 18



political regimes, or market reliability, Richard Taylor, executive director of the International

Hydropower Association, told BNA.

Dams 'Synonymous' With Development, Progress

Dam building peaked in the 1970s, when on average two or three large dams were commissioned per

day, according to a 2000 report by the World Commission on Dams (WCD).

During their heyday, dams were often considered “synonymous with development and economic

progress,” the report said.

Dams have made significant contributions to energy and water needs in many countries through power

generation, irrigation, domestic and industrial water supplies, and flood protection. They can also

provide indirect benefits through local employment and the expansion of infrastructure, such as roads

and schools, the WCD said.

For climate change mitigation and adaptation, hydropower has been touted as an energy option with

relatively low greenhouse gas emissions and no fuel required.

But as more dams were built, the WCD said their costs became apparent. When the flow of a river is

altered for a dam, it can cause losses in biodiversity and prevent sediment from being transported to

coastal areas, which in turn increases coastal erosion and blocks nutrient delivery to agricultural regions.

Dams also have effects on local populations due to resettlement and loss of livelihood, particularly

among fishing communities. At the time of the WCD report, dams had displaced 40 million to 80

million people globally.

Public concern over these social and environmental impacts helped cut construction rates for dams in

half during the 1990s.

Dam Building Trend Reverses

In a reversal of that trend, dam construction has accelerated since around 2005, particularly in

developing countries where the demand for water and electricity is climbing rapidly.

The most dramatic scaling up of hydropower lending over the last decade has occurred at the World

Bank, which typically accounts for about 2 percent to 5 percent of the world's hydropower financing.

The bank spent almost $1.8 billion on hydropower projects in fiscal year 2011 and an additional $955

million in 2012, which is five times as much as it spent in 2003.

Other development banks have seen a more modest resurgence in hydropower financing.

The Inter-American Development Bank's support for hydropower started to “stage a comeback”

between 2000 and 2005, according to a bank summary of its water resources support. In 2005, the most

recent year for which figures are available, IDB funding for hydropower totaled $950 million--its

highest level since 1993.

Although up-to-date aggregate figures are not available, the African Development Bank has also put

money toward a handful of large hydropower projects lately, including more than $20 million for the

planning stage of the 4,800-megawatt Inga 3 dam on the Congo River in the Democratic Republic of

Congo.

http://op.bna.com/env.nsf/r?Open=avio-997lth

http://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=905437

/ 18



South Africa will be the principal purchaser of the power generated at Inga 3, with the remainder of the

energy going to mining companies. As a result, critics say the dam fails to benefit the poor in the DRC,

which has one of the lowest rates of electrification in Africa, according to estimates from the World

Bank Group's Lighting Africa program.

AfDB has defended the project, saying it is expected to promote “regional integration” and “green

growth” by improving the business climate and economic productivity of beneficiary countries.

High Risk, High Reward

For projects that may not directly help the poor, the World Bank says it has made an effort to better

distribute benefits.

“That's one of the big lessons of the past 20 years,” Julia Bucknall, manager for the World Bank's water

practice, told BNA. “We've found ways of making that happen.”

During its break from large hydropower, the World Bank focused on “a few flagship projects” to learn

how to better handle resettlement issues and environmental aspects, Bucknall said.

“This is not your grandfather's hydropower,” she said.

The World Bank signaled its return to large dam lending in 2003 when it updated its water resources

sector strategy to re-engage in what it called a “high risk-high reward” approach to water infrastructure

projects, especially dams.

The bank has said the surge in large dam lending will help meet its central poverty agenda while

tackling water challenges associated with climate change.

“The water challenge that our clients face is getting increasingly complex and increasingly important,”

Bucknall said. “What we need to do is intensify our response so that we have more impact.”

Water supply and sanitation projects have consistently received the most water sector lending from the

World Bank, at an annual average of about $3 billion since fiscal year 2003. But hydropower has

recently become the fastest growing component of the bank's water lending portfolio. From fiscal year

2009 to 2011 alone, financing for hydropower more than doubled to reach $1.74 billion, before falling

back in 2012.

The bank has said its newest hydropower projects are larger and more complex than ever, part of a more

recent trend toward “transformational” projects, which was outlined in its infrastructure strategy for

2012-2015. The bank's transformational projects, such as regional power grid connections and large-

scale renewable energy, are intended to address systemic development challenges.

One transformational project funded by the World Bank is the $1.3 billion Nam Theun 2 hydropower

project in Laos, which is often regarded as the first symbol of development banks' return to large

hydropower. While about 75 megawatts will be reserved for domestic use, the project is expected to

generate 1,000 MW of energy for export and $2 billion in revenue through power sales that the country

will use for economic development and poverty reduction.

EBRD Focuses on Small Hydro

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has likewise focused its attention on

hydropower in the last few years, but primarily for small-scale projects. The bank has also funded

http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/article/afdb-renews-support-to-the-inga-hydro-power-project-in-drc-11972/

http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2004/03/10/000090341_20040310154948/Rendered/PDF/281140PAPER0Water0Resources.pdf

http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2004/03/10/000090341_20040310154948/Rendered/PDF/281140PAPER0Water0Resources.pdf

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTINFRA/Resources/Transformationthroughinfrastructure.pdf

/ 18



hydropower projects that are considered large in its regional context but are more likely to be

categorized as medium-sized hydropower by global standards.

In the bank's early years after its establishment in 1991, EBRD funded mostly rehabilitation of existing

hydropower facilities because hydropower capacity was “maxed out” in many countries of focus,

Nandita Parshad, director of power and energy utilities at EBRD, told BNA. “Building new hydros has

been a relatively recent phenomenon,” Parshad said.

Since 1993, the bank has directly invested in nearly 40 projects for new hydropower or rehabilitation,

totaling more than €1 billion, according to figures provided by EBRD. In 2011 alone, the bank signed

deals for more than 10 hydropower projects, including a €200 million ($279 million in 2011 dollars)

loan to Ukrhydroenergo, Ukraine's largest hydropower company, to rehabilitate seven of its hydro

plants. The project is part of a larger rehabilitation program for all 4,600 MW of the company's

generation capacity.

Parshad said the surge in hydropower is due in part to a growing number of government policies

supporting renewable energy that have made small hydropower a more attractive investment.

Technological advances in small hydropower have also helped reduce costs.

Still, small-scale hydropower can be very capital intensive, with a long payback period, she said.

“There's a misconception that small hydros are cheap and cheerful,” Parshad said. “They can be more

expensive than large hydros.”

The cumulative damage caused by small hydropower dams can also be more significant than large dams

for certain environmental impacts, according to a five-year study by scientists from Oregon State

University (2013 WLPM, 6/19/13).

The bank frequently enters partnerships with private sector banks, industries, and businesses to finance

projects, but the trend is even more pronounced for small hydropower. “Almost all” of EBRD's small

hydropower projects have been developed alongside the private sector, Parshad said.

To construct the 87-MW Paravani hydropower plant in the Republic of Georgia, the bank shared project

costs with commercial banks and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector lending

arm of the World Bank Group. EBRD took an additional $5 million equity stake in Georgian-Urban

Energy, which is managing the plant's construction.

The bank has also developed a mechanism for providing indirect financing for hydropower. Through its

Sustainable Energy Financing Facilities, EBRD extends credit lines to local financial institutions that

pass the funds along to small and medium-sized businesses, corporate clients, and retail clients.

Regional Cooperation 'Ongoing Challenge.'

The Asian Development Bank has also been a major player in hydropower financing.

Large hydropower projects accounted for about 14 percent of the bank's water sector lending between

1992 and 2009, totaling $2.3 billion, according to ADB data. After a dip in funding in the early 2000s,

lending over the past few years has generally returned to 1990 levels, Anthony Jude, senior adviser and

practice leader for energy at ADB, told BNA.

/ 18



In 2005, the Asian Development Bank joined forces with the World Bank for the Nam Theun 2

hydropower project on a tributary of the Mekong River. It is one of about a dozen dams being built or

considered within the Mekong basin, where water resources are shared among four Southeast Asian

countries.

Many of the Mekong dams are being funded by the private sector or national governments, making

coordination a challenge, Jude said.

“We need cooperation between different hydropower operators” to facilitate basin-wide planning that

takes the entire network of projects into account, he said. But coordinated planning is an ongoing

challenge “that cannot be resolved today or tomorrow,” he added.

The ADB acknowledged that challenge in a 2010 evaluation of its water policy.

“Regional cooperation in water resource management has been a difficult area for ADB and other

multilateral development banks due largely to the political sensitivity involved in crossborder water

sharing within and outside national borders,” the evaluation said.

Dam building in the Mekong has been criticized as a failure in coordinated planning.

In 2012, Laos went ahead with construction of the 1,285-MW Xayaburi dam on the main stem of the

river, despite opposition from its neighbors that the configuration would be too harmful to downstream

ecosystems and economic activities. The dam is being funded by Thai commercial banks.

“The lower Mekong hosts the most productive inland fisheries in the world and millions of people

depend on its rivers and lakes,” according to the WWF, also known as the World Wildlife Fund.

The Xayaburi dam is expected to block fish migration routes, which WWF said would have a negative

impact on other species, subsistence fishermen, and regional food security.

Jude made it clear that the Asian Development Bank has not funded any dams on the Mekong's main

stem but only on its tributaries. In addition to the dam on Nam Theun River, the bank has provided $115

million in loans to the Lao government for the 440-MW Nam Ngum 3 hydropower project on the Nam

Ngum River.

Dam Built 'On the Wrong River.'

Constructing the Xayaburi dam on the main stem of the Mekong River is “contrary” to the dam building

principles, WWF has suggested, Jian-hua Meng, water security specialist at the organization, told BNA.

The dam is being built “on the wrong river,” in an area that should be off-limits for hydropower

development because of its high conservation value, WWF said in a 2013 evaluation of nine dams.

River location was one of seven “sins” that WWF outlined in its evaluation, such as neglecting effects

on downstream river flows and failing to acquire a “social license” to operate.

Dam siting is becoming a “crucial” question as hydropower investment shifts to the developing world,

Meng said.

“These are the places that are still pristine in terms of environmental aspects,” Meng said. “The little

free-flowing rivers left on the planet should remain free and not be dammed as well.”

http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/SES-OTH-2010-47.pdf

http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/wwf_seven_sins_of_dam_building.pdf

/ 18



Most of the world's existing large dams are in Asia, followed by North America and Central America,

according to a 2011 survey by the International Commission on Large Dams. The construction of new

dams, however, has been concentrated in developing countries and remote locations, particularly in

Africa, Asia, and South America, which together account for at least 75 percent of the world's

unexploited hydropower potential, according to the World Bank.

“Over the history of dam building, the most favorable spots, the easy locations, they're taken,” Meng

said. “Every new development automatically will go to those places that were hard to reach, not

accessible, remote, maybe also politically risky.”

'One Extreme to the Other.'

Private sector participation in hydropower has also been on the rise, climbing from $2.7 billion globally

in 2005 to $5 billion in 2010, according to data compiled by the World Bank.

“The private sector used to do nothing but the smallest of schemes,” said Taylor, the executive director

of the International Hydropower Association. “Now larger and larger projects are coming through in a

private model.”

But “the transition is going from one extreme to the other at the moment,” Taylor said. As the private

sector takes over the engineering and construction of hydropower, the public sector still needs to stay

involved to strengthen associated infrastructure, he said.

Taylor said he expects to see an “evolution of private and public involvement” in the future, but defining

boundaries between the two sectors for responsibilities within “bigger strategic picture of development”

will be key.

“There are a lot of projects that combine public and private components,” potentially with different parts

of the infrastructure being constructed under public and private direction, he said.

“But you have to recognize that the private sector does its business for a return,” he said. “At what point

do you say it's the project developer's responsibility to build schools and health clinics and public

amenities when you're actually effectively building a power plant?”

Need for 'Common Definition of Impacts.'

Over the last decade, there have been several international efforts to set shared sustainability standards

for dam building.

“One of things that has plagued these debates is that we don't have a common definition of impacts,” the

World Bank's Bucknall said.

The World Commission on Dams proposed in 2000 a set of guidelines for decisionmaking that

emphasized the need to protect dam-affected populations and the environment while ensuring that the

economic benefits of dams are more evenly distributed. The guidelines received a mixed reaction from

hydropower developers. Many multilateral banks endorsed the recommendations while some national

governments and parts of industry rejected them.

For commercial banks, the Equator Principles were established in 2003 to provide investment guidance

for weighing environmental and social risks, though they did not focus specifically on hydropower.

http://ppi-re.worldbank.org/Snapshots/Technology/large-hydro

http://op.bna.com/env.nsf/r?Open=avio-997lth

http://www.equator-principles.com/resources/equator_principles_III.pdf

/ 18



Most multilateral development banks follow environmental and social safeguard policies, which

advocacy groups say have generally become more stringent than standards among commercial banks or

other financiers.

Safeguard policies, which cover all bank work, not just dams, generally promote sustainable

development that protects biodiversity, natural and cultural resources, and public health and safety.

Some banks, including EBRD, have expanded the scope of their policies over time to include more

social issues, such as working conditions, gender equality, and involuntary resettlement.

'Existential Moment' for World Bank

Aligning sustainability standards among financing partners is a growing challenge, Zachary Hurwitz,

policy program coordinator at International Rivers, told BNA. International Rivers is an environmental

and human rights nonprofit that has criticized many large dam projects for ignoring social and

environmental impacts in their cost-benefit analyses.

The World Bank, for example, “can't have standards that are too strong because they don't want to lose

finance partners,” Hurwitz said.

“The World Bank right now is at a very existential moment, finding itself locked out of a lot of potential

funding activities” because it is implementing standards with higher costs, Hurwitz said.

He said one way the World Bank has approached the topic is by forming public-private partnerships in

which it provides technical assistance loans to help borrowers achieve better social and environmental

standards.

Through the Eastern Africa Power Pool, for example, World Bank experts have offered training, sharing

of software, and technical support to help borrower governments better track hydrology, weather

patterns, and other factors that might affect the reliability of hydropower, Hurwitz said. The bank's

technical assistance loans have also gone toward cumulative impact assessments so that hydropower

developers can plan at the basin level rather than project by project, he added.

The World Bank is piloting with one of its hydropower projects the use of a new auditing tool that

measures performance against best practices for sustainability.

The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol, which rates projects across 20 environmental,

social, technical, and financial categories, was developed by the International Hydropower Association,

commercial and development banks, governments, and civil society.

IHA's Taylor said “some of the world's biggest environmental champions are supportive of the

protocol,” including WWF.

While the protocol is targeted toward industry self-assessments, it has also emerged as a potential

screening tool for development banks to weigh investment risks. The protocol is not a standard, though,

so it should not replace banks' sustainability safeguards, Hurwitz cautioned.

'Jury Still Out' on Implementation

Despite a lack of consensus in the past on the definition of sustainability, representatives from industry,

governments, and nongovernmental organizations at the International Hydropower Association's 2013

/ 18



World Congress said the debate over sustainability standards has shifted instead toward implementation

(2013 WLPM, 6/5/13).

“I think we are getting to a stage where we know what it takes to make a sustainable hydropower

project,” Cameron Ironside, program director for sustainability at IHA, previously told BNA. “But it's a

case of actually driving it forward and implementing it.”

The first official assessments using the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol showed that

hydropower projects worldwide generally performed well across a range of sustainability measures but

often failed to meet proven best practices for certain environmental and social issues, including

biodiversity and resettlement of dam-affected populations (2013 WLPM, 5/22/13).

“Taking guidelines and implementing them, that's not an easy thing,” WWF's Meng said. “You have to

have a sustainability-enabling culture in your organization and this is what many commercial banks

don't have.”

Ensuring that sustainability standards are followed will require capacity building so that lenders can

better anticipate impacts “further down the road” and be more “aware” of the risks they are taking, he

said.

Still, “some of the problems related to dam building, especially social impacts, indigenous species, those

aren't going to go away,” Hurwitz said. “The jury is still out in terms of whether large dams will ever be

a good investment.”


Tanzania: African Bank Boss in Tanzania – East African Business Week 1 July 2013

African Development Bank (AfDB) President, Donald Kaberuka, was in Tanzania over the weekend for

the visit by United States President Barack Obama.

Obama was on a mini-tour of Africa to partly focus on fostering economic growth and development in

Africa through increased access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable power in Africa.

"This continent pays dearly for deficiencies in infrastructure, including in the energy sector. Drawing

now on resources from the public and the private sector, at home and abroad, it can derive immense

dividends," Dr Kaberuka said

The AfDB has committed more than $1.63 billion in energy infrastructure funding to the six countries

involved in the initiative over the past five years, including $1.4 billion under the African Development

Fund (ADF) -- its concessionary lending window to low income countries. The US is a significant

contributor to the ADF, which is going through its 13th replenishment.

African Development Bank (AfDB) President, Donald Kaberuka, was in Tanzania over the weekend for

the visit by United States President Barack Obama.

Obama was on a mini-tour of Africa to partly focus on fostering economic growth and development in

Africa through increased access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable power in Africa.

/ 18



"This continent pays dearly for deficiencies in infrastructure, including in the energy sector. Drawing

now on resources from the public and the private sector, at home and abroad, it can derive immense

dividends," Dr Kaberuka said

The AfDB has committed more than $1.63 billion in energy infrastructure funding to the six countries

involved in the initiative over the past five years, including $1.4 billion under the African Development

Fund (ADF) -- its concessionary lending window to low income countries. The US is a significant

contributor to the ADF, which is going through its 13th replenishment.


Obama on equality and industrialisation in Africa – The Africa Report 1 July 2013 By

Konye Obaji Ori

After calling for an end to the discrimination of homosexuals in Africa while in Senegal, championing

liberation icon Nelson Mandela's model of leadership during a visit to South Africa, and unveiling a $15

billion "Power Africa" project, United States President Barack Obama will seal his legacy in Africa with

efforts to ensure more private American investment in the continent while in Tanzania.

The legacy of America's first black president in Africa takes shape as he meets with representatives

from Coca-Cola, General Electric, Microsoft, Kenya's Equity Bank, Zimbabwe's Econet

telecommunications firm, and African Development Bank (AfDB) to discuss more private American

investment in Africa.

The plan to engage in a business round-table with CEOs and business leaders from Africa and the

United States follows significant messages in Senegal and South Africa that would define his legacy in

Africa.

Obama began by asserting that the United States makes no apologies for supporting efforts to stand up

for human dignity in Africa.

In his championing of human rights, Obama called on African leaders and the world to treat people

equally under the law. "Regardless of race, regardless of religion, regardless of gender, regardless of

sexual orientation ... people should be treated equally, and that's a principle that I think applies

universally," Obama said speaking at a news conference with President Macky Sall of Senegal.

With human rights as the highlight of his visit in Senegal, Obama focused on leadership and good

governance while in South Africa.

Speaking at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, Obama challenged African youths to seize a

"moment of great promise" as he asserted that Mandela's vision for equality and opportunity was the

standard for leadership and governance

"Nelson Mandela showed us that one man's courage can move the world...Africans must take much of

the responsibility for finishing the work started by Mandela and his contemporaries..." Obama said as he

addressed people of South Africa.

By calling on leadership built on the principle of equality and opportunity, Obama paved the way for his

final visit to Tanzania.

http://www.theafricareport.com/North-Africa/obama-on-equality-and-industrialisation-in-africa.html

/ 18



Beginning with advocacy and concluding with activism, Obama introduced "Power Africa," an $8

billion initiative that would focus on six countries: Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria.

The Power Africa project is aimed at improving Africa's electric power capacity and networks. And

according to AfDB, the project could help African economies diversify and shake a reliance on natural

resources.

"If we can resolve the power problem, this will make industry happen there, that is what will add value

to what we produce, instead of simply exporting oil and gas," Donald Kaberuka African Development

Bank president told reporters.

Obama's action plan in Africa will begin with bilateral talks with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete,

before a scheduled business round-table with CEOs and business leaders from Africa and the United

States.

After a week-long visit in the continent of his paternal origin, the legacy of Obama in Africa will be

defined by his advocacy for human rights, leadership based on the principle of equality and opportunity,

and efforts to diversify African economies that are solely reliant on natural resources.


Section française

Les Égyptiens dans la rue sur fond de crise économique et sociale – Radio Canada 3 juillet 2013

Si les manifestants égyptiens ont demandé, et obtenu, le départ du président Mohamed Morsi, c'est en

grande partie parce qu'ils sont très insatisfaits de sa gestion de l'économie.

Depuis la révolution du 25 janvier 2011 qui a abattu le régime du dictateur Hosni Moubarak, l'instabilité

politique s'est installée à demeure et l'économie du pays tourne au ralenti, sur fond de grèves et

de protestations.

L'Égypte est confrontée à un effondrement des investissements étrangers et à la fonte de ses réserves en

devises étrangères en raison d'une baisse marquée du tourisme, dont dépend grandement le pays.

En conséquence, les Égyptiens font face à une hausse du prix des aliments de base et le chômage est

grimpé en flèche. De plus, les interruptions de courant se multiplient, faute de fonds pour acheter les

hydrocarbures nécessaires aux centrales électriques.

Le gouvernement négocie avec le Fonds monétaire international (FMI) un prêt de 4,8 milliards de

dollars afin d'insuffler un peu d'oxygène à l'économie. L'obtention de ce prêt donnerait un signal de

confiance et permettrait de débloquer d'autres aides (Banque mondiale, Union européenne, Banque

africaine de développement) dont l'Égypte a cruellement besoin.

Mais les négociations, initiées en août 2012, n'avancent guère. Le FMI exige des mesures de rigueur

budgétaire et une hausse de taxes, que le gouvernement ne parvient pas à faire adopter.

http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/International/2013/07/03/006-egypte-ultimatum-morsi.shtml

/ 18



Selon François Brousseau, chroniqueur en information internationale à Radio-Canada, le FMI aurait

peut-être été posé des conditions moins strictes si un gouvernement laïc et pro-occidental avait été élu

plutôt que les Frères musulmans.

Le FMI demande entre autres l'arrêt des subventions aux produits de première nécessité, très coûteuses

pour l'État puisqu'elles accaparent près du tiers de son budget.

L'Égypte subventionne notamment le pain, la farine, le sucre et l'huile, mais aussi l'essence et le gaz

butane. Depuis quelques mois, il y a déjà des pénuries de pain et de carburant, ce qui a encouragé

l'apparition d'un marché noir et d'interminables files d'attente devant les boulangeries et les

stations d'essence.

Le blé cultivé en Égypte ne parvenant pas à couvrir les besoins de la population, évalués à 18 millions

de tonnes, le pays est le premier importateur de blé au monde. Plusieurs analystes sont donc inquiets

pour la sécurité alimentaire de la population, alors que fondent les réserves de devises nécessaires pour

acheter sur les marchés extérieurs.

Qui plus est, la monnaie égyptienne est en chute libre. Les produits en provenance de l'étranger sont

donc plus coûteux et tout le monde en souffre dans un pays qui dépend fortement des importations.

Après avoir diminué du tiers en 2011, le nombre de touristes a remonté légèrement en 2012, pour

atteindre quelque 11,5 millions de personnes. En 2010, avant le soulèvement, 14,5 millions de personnes

avaient visité l'Égypte. Les recettes ont plongé d'autant, passant de 12,5 milliards en 2010 à 8,8 milliards

en 2011.

L'industrie touristique représente près de 10 % du PIB égyptien et un quart de ses revenus en devises.

Elle fournit 13 % des emplois.

De plus, les investissements étrangers nets ont chuté de 393 millions de dollars au cours du deuxième

semestre de 2012, aggravant encore la situation de la Banque centrale.

Les réserves de devises ont atteint un seuil critique, passant de 36 milliards de dollars, avant la chute de

Moubarak, à 15 milliards aujourd'hui, soit de quoi couvrir trois mois d'importations. Pour tenter de les

protéger, le gouvernement a annoncé, à la fin de l'année dernière, une taxe sur l'acquisition de devises

étrangères pour les particuliers et un plafonnement des retraits quotidiens.

Taux d'inflation : 8,2 % (2013)

Taux de chômage officiel : 13,5 % (2013)

40 % des Égyptiens vivent avec moins de 2 $ par jour


Tunisie : quid de la mission au Fonds vert pour le climat ? Investir en Tunisie 3 juillet

2013

Hela Cheikhrouhou, cadre à la Banque africaine de développement (BAD), a été désignée, mercredi 26

juin 2013, premier directeur exécutif du Fonds vert pour le climat basé en Corée du sud.

Intervenant vendredi 28 juin 2013 sur Express FM, Mme. Cheikhrouhou a indiqué que ce fonds

constitue un mécanisme financier de l'Organisation des Nations Unies (ONU), rattaché à la Convention-

/ 18



cadre des Nations Unies sur les changements climatiques. Il a pour objectif de réaliser de transfert de

fonds des pays les plus avancés à destination des pays les plus vulnérables.

Hela Cheikhrouhou a souligné que son but majeur est de créer des projets aux fins de combattre les

effets des changements climatiques, de diminuer les émissions de gaz à effet de serre, de lutter contre la

déforestation et de prendre des mesures d'adaptation aux conséquences du réchauffement climatique.

Elle a également expliqué que pour être éligible aux lignes de crédit de ce fonds, les pays en

développement doivent nécessairement disposer d’une stratégie cohérente pour la lutte contre le

réchauffement climatique et de banques bien gérées.

Le fonds a été créé en décembre 2009 à Copenhague (Danemark) et lancé officiellement en 2011 à

Durban (Afrique du sud).


Infrastructures de transport: Les nouveaux projets de la Bad - Cameroon Tribune 3

juillet 2013 par Sorèle GUEBEDIANG

Selon la Banque africaine de développement (Bad), le transport représente 12,3% de la production,

10,2% de la valeur ajoutée et 56,3% des exportations du secteur en 2012. Une situation qui justifie le

lien étroit entre la prospérité du Cameroun, le commerce et les transports.

Et c’est parce que les transports sont au cœur des échanges et des activités commerciales que la Bad a

ouvert mardi à Yaoundé, un atelier sur la gestion du portefeuille transport en Afrique de l’Ouest et du

Centre, dans le cadre de la stratégie de son développement inclusif.

En présence d’Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi, Ministre de l’Economie, de la Planification et de

l’Aménagement du territoire (Minepat), Racine Kane, représentant-résident de la Bad au Cameroun, a

indiqué que ce secteur occupe une place de choix dans les programmes d’investissement, du fait du rôle

primordial qu’il joue dans la construction de l’intégration économique et le développement des activités

économiques nationales et régionales.

La préoccupation de croissance, de développement équitable et durable va permettre d’éviter la fracture

sociale très souvent considérée comme facteur limitant dans la réalisation des performances

économiques du continent africain.

Dans le cadre des infrastructures, le niveau d’engagement total représente près de 52 % du portefeuille

total de la Bad au Cameroun.

Au cours de cet atelier qui prend fin ce jour, les experts de la Bad, les représentants des pays-membres,

les partenaires techniques et financiers représentés au Cameroun et les Communautés économiques

régionales d’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre vont mettre sur pied des stratégies pouvant contribuer à

l’amélioration durable du portefeuille des opérations de transport dans les régions concernées.

Ainsi, au Cameroun, par exemple, dès l’année prochaine la Bad va mobiliser les ressources pour les

infrastructures routières de l’axe Ntui-Yoko-Ngaoundéré, qui va faire gagner 200 km en direction du

Tchad. Grâce à cet axe, les échanges commerciaux seront améliorés entre les zones de production et de

consommation pour réduire la pauvreté.

/ 18




Bonne tenue de l’activité économique dans l’Uemoa – Le Soleil 2 juillet 2013

Malgré une conjoncture internationale toujours difficile, les pays de l’Uemoa se distinguent par une

bonne tenue de l’activité économique et financière. Le taux de croissance du Pib s’établit à 6,4 % en

termes réels en 2012 et devrait se situer à 6,5 % en 2013.

La réunion du Conseil des ministres de l’Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine (Uemoa),

tenue vendredi dernier au siège de la Banque centrale des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (Bceao), à

Dakar, a examiné la situation monétaire, économique et financière récente de l’Union, caractérisée par

une bonne tenue de l’activité économique en dépit d’une conjoncture internationale encore difficile.

Ainsi, le taux de croissance du produit intérieur brut (Pib) de l’Uemoa est ressorti, en termes réels, à 6,4

% en 2012 et devrait se situer à 6,5 % en 2013. Le Conseil des ministres s’est réjoui de la poursuite de la

décélération de l’inflation dans l’Union, avec un taux passé de 2,8 % en fin décembre 2012 à 2,0 % à fin

mai 2013, à la faveur de la décrue des prix des céréales locales. Cependant, le Conseil des ministres

recommande aux Etats membres d’accentuer les efforts de consolidation des finances publiques et

d’accélérer la mise en œuvre des réformes structurelles pour l’ancrage des économies sur la trajectoire

de croissance forte et durable. Il invite à poursuivre l’assainissement des finances publiques et le

renforcement de l’efficacité des dépenses d’investissement public.

Le communiqué annonce que les ministres ont approuvé les requêtes de la Banque africaine de

développement (Bad) relatives à des émissions d’emprunts obligataires sur le marché financier régional,

dans le cadre de ses opérations dans les Etats membres de l’Uemoa.

Les ministres ont aussi marqué leur accord sur les orientations proposées par la Bceao en vue de la mise

en place d’un système de promotion des Bureaux d’information sur le crédit dans les Etats membres et

exhorté ceux-ci à insérer la loi y afférente dans leur ordre juridique interne au plus tard le 31 décembre

2013. Le Conseil a approuvé les comptes de la Bceao et procédé à l’affectation du résultat financier de

l’exercice 2012.

Il a de même adopté un règlement concernant les émissions de bons et obligations du Trésor par

adjudication ou par syndication, prenant en compte les innovations intervenues avec la création de

l’Agence Umoa-Titres.

La loi uniforme réprimant l’usure adoptée

Au cours de sa réunion de vendredi dernier au siège de la Banque centrale des Etats de l’Afrique de

l’Ouest (Bceao) à Dakar, le Conseil des ministres de l’Union économique et monétaire ouest-africaine

(Uemoa) a adopté la loi uniforme définissant et réprimant l’usure et la loi uniforme relative au taux de

l’intérêt légal, annonce un communiqué. En conséquence, le Conseil invite les Etats membres à

« procéder à une insertion diligente » de ces textes dans leur ordre juridique.

Le taux de l’usure, dans l’Uemoa, connait ainsi une modification, il est désormais fixé à 15 % pour les

banques et à 24 % pour les autres agents économiques. Cette disposition entre en vigueur le 1er janvier

2014, précise le communiqué. Au cours de la réunion, le Conseil des ministres a précisé les différentes

catégories de produits d’épargne réglementés, commercialisés par les établissements de crédit, les

/ 18



systèmes financiers décentralisés, les services financiers de l’administration ou de l’Office des postes et

les Caisses nationales d’épargne. Cependant, le communiqué ne précise pas ces différentes catégories.


La BAD et le Fonds pour l’environnement mondial renforcent l’adaptation au changement climatique avec 33,58 millions de dollars EU – PR Newswire 2 juillet 2013

Le 20 juin 2013, le Conseil d'administration du Fonds pour l'environnement mondial (FEM) a approuvé

11,3 millions de dollars EU de dons dédiés à des actions d'adaptation climatique engagées par la Banque

africaine de développement (BAD), au Cameroun et dans la Corne de l'Afrique (Djibouti, Kenya).

Dans la région de la Corne de l'Afrique, le Fonds pour les pays les moins avancés (FPMA) et le Fond

spécial pour le changement climatique (FSCC) financeront le projet d'adaptation des modes de vie au

changement climatique.

Dans le cadre de cette première phase, complémentaire de l'Initiative contre la sécheresse dans la zone

menée par la BAD, le Kenya et Djibouti recevront, respectivement, 2,5 millions de dollars EU et 5,7

millions de dollars EU. Ce programme vise à accroitre la résilience des populations pastorales aux effets

du changement climatique, grâce à l'amélioration durable de leurs modes de vie.

Au Cameroun, le Fonds spécial pour le climat (FSPC) doit financer un projet destiné à améliorer la

résilience des communautés urbaines déshéritées face aux inondations à Yaoundé, avec un don de 4,03

millions de dollars EU.

Ce projet permettra de : i) renforcer la capacité institutionnelle nécessaire à l'amélioration de la

résilience face au risque d'inondations ; ii) améliorer l'état de préparation et la capacité d'adaptation des

communautés ; iii) contribuera au transfert de technologies spécifiques au contrôle des inondations

(activités communautaires, installation de zones tampon le long des canaux et des réservoirs).

Le Conseil d'administration du FEM a également approuvé, au cours du deuxième trimestre de 2013, le

financement de deux projets en Angola et à Madagascar, par le FSPC.

En Angola, la BAD mettra en œuvre un projet visant à intégrer les changements climatiques dans la

gestion des sols et de l'environnement, grâce à un don de 4,41 millions de dollars EU. Ce projet aidera à

la diffusion des techniques de gestion durable des terres, ainsi que des pratiques d'adaptation au

changement climatique dans l'agroforesterie et l'écologie des sols, auprès de 350 communautés.

À Madagascar, un don de 6,27 millions de dollars EU facilitera la résilience au changement climatique

du secteur de l'agriculture dans la région Sud-Ouest du pays. Ce projet renforcera la résilience des

infrastructures d'alimentation en eau de 10 200 hectares de terres agricoles dans la région du Bas

Mangoky.


english section 2 - african development bank

Documents