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Based on statistical evidences in the last couple of years, Nigeria's economy is one of the rapidly growing in the world and the fastest growing in Africa. However, in real terms, its people are the most impoverished with high poverty concentration in the rural areas. This study investigates Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and how the informal financing option could boost their performance in the rural areas. A sample of 185 SMEs was selected in a crosssectional survey research design across two (2) Local Government Areas of Kwara State who are typically rural areas. The returned questionnaires of 125 i.e. (78.1%) were according analyzed using regression and t-test analyses. The findings show that 91.2% of the sample relied only on informal sources of finance for their businesses while 4.0% and 4.8% have accessed the formal and government funding respectively. The study concludes that informal financing option is germane to improving rural SMEs as this will create business expansion, provide more jobs and ultimately reduce high rate of poverty in the rural communities. The paper recommends that government should through Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bank of Industry (BOI), Bank of Agriculture (BOA) etc. provide special intervention fund for informal financing channels. Furthermore, international NGOs such as FATE, MTN, Bill and Merlyn Foundations, and other international financial institutions such as African Development Bank (AfDB) International Finance Corporation (IFC) should develop a partnership programme with informal finance providers in Nigeria.

Vitamin A deficiency is a major nutritional problem in Kenya, leading to night blindness and high mortality rate in infants. Consumption of orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) that is high in -carotene (pro-vitamin A), can reduce the risk of the deficiency. The utilization of the OFSP in Kenya despite its nutritional advantage is limited. Efforts by the Government extension service to promote the crop has had limited impact. The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute in collaboration with the International Potato Centre and farmers developed a number of OFSP technologies that can enhance its utilization. The ASARECA/AfDB-supported project "Dissemination of New Agricultural Technologies in Africa" (DONATA) for Orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) was initiated in Bungoma and Busia counties of Western Kenya in 2008. The project used the Innovation Platforms for Technology Adoption (IPTAs) approach in up-scale the proven OFSP technologies. IPTA acts as the institutional mechanism bringing together different stakeholders for scaling out and scaling-up of OFSP technologies along the value chain. Within three years 29 technologies on seed systems, agronomic practises, postharvest processing and marketing were promoted to 7500 beneficiaries. This was achieved through training of 215 extension agents and 1250 farmers on different aspects of OFSP. Thirteen information products were made available to the users through 15 different uptake pathways. Area under OFSP root production increased by over 600% while productivity per unit area increased from 8 to 16 tons/ha in the project counties

설명회자료 : 'MDB 프로젝트 플라자' (2018.11.20-22) ; Main Forum [Main Forum 1] Infrastructure Develoment in emerging markets with MDB IFC / Hyun-Chan Cho [Main Forum 2] Roles and Achievements of PPIAF PPIAF / Jemima Sy [Main Forum 3] KEXIM's MDB Co-financing & Korean Government's Trust Funds KEXIM / Jae Cheol Kim [Main Forum 4] How to engage partnership and leverage opportunities with MDB KGGTF / Eun Joo Allison Lee [Main Forum 5] Case study : PPP Project financed by MDB SK E&C / Woojin Jang Project Presentation (Transportation·Infra) [Transportation·Infra 1] Investment Opportunites in Infrastructure Projects Pakistan [Transportation·Infra 2] High-Speed Railway Project in Egypt Egypt / Khaled Ahmed Hamdy [Transportation·Infra 3] New Administrative Gapital -Kowledge City- Egypt / Mohamed Youssef [Transportation·Infra 4] Digital Strategies & Solutions for Smart Cities India / Vikas Kanungo [Transportation·Infra 5] Transport and Urban development Porect in Vama City Bulgaria / MLADEN IVANOV [Transportation·Infra 6] Cross River States's Superhighway and Bakassi Deep Seaport Project Nigeria / Victor Edet [Transportation·Infra 7] Kazakhstan / Ablaliev Satzhan [Transportation·Infra 8] Development of Aerotropolis Project Mongolia / Gunbold B Project Presentation (Energy·Environment) [Energy·Environment 1] Towards Water Security Philippines / Ramon R. Fabul [Energy·Environment 2] Opportunities for Environmental Projects in Guatemala Guatemala / TREVOR ESTRADA [Energy·Environment 3] Dhaka WASA Trunaround Program Bangladesh / Taqsem A Khan [Energy·Environment 4] Environmental Projects in NAMAMI GANGE India / Neeraj Gahlawat [Energy·Environment 5] Gas combined cycle Yashma Power Plant Project Azerbaijan / Nijat Isgandarli [Energy·Environment 6] Storage & Hydropower Dvelopment in Pakistan Pakistan / Mohammad Salman Faruqi [Energy·Environment 7] Power transmission system Projects Vietnam / Nguyen Van Long [Energy·Environment 8] Ongoing and Upcoming Power Projects Ghana / Emmanuel Antwi-Darkwa Project Financing Conference [ Project Financing Conference 1] Working with the EBRD ERBD / Seungtae Kim [ Project Financing Conference 2] Private Sector Investment IDB Invest / Ricardo DE VECCHI [ Project Financing Conference 3] AIIB Investment Strategy AIIB / Dong-ik Lee [ Project Financing Conference 4] Institutioonal Strategy of CABEI CABEI / Mauricio Chacon [ Project Financing Conference 5] AFDB / Lawrence Hoomyung Lee [ Project Financing Conference 6] Enabling long-term infrastucture finance in local currency GuarantCo / Simon Kim [ Project Financing Conference 7] Private Sector Investment Program ADB / Won Myong Hong [ Project Financing Conference 8] ADB Guarantee Products ADB / Siddhartha Shah [ Project Financing Conference 9] IFC / Jaejin Lee [ Project Financing Conference 10] Political Risk Insurance and Credit Enhancement Solutions MIGA / Jae Hyung Kwon

The aim of this paper is to identify the main factors behind Sudan's huge external debt, as well as to identify its impact on the country's major economic indicators (especially Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Per capita income, and poverty). Moreover, the paper will examine the strategies adopted by the government in order to reduce its unsustainable debt including benefiting from the available international initiatives such as Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs); besides proposing a way out for the relief of the country unsustainable external debt. The methodology adopted in this paper is descriptive and analytical in nature depending mainly on secondary sources of data. The study indicated that Sudans debt is unsustainable and the country is highly indebted. Subsequently, statistics by International Monetary Fund (IMF) showed that the present value of Sudans total external debt, as of December 2012, stood at $ 79 billion, which was equivalent to 150% of GDP, 1,697% of exports and 1,646% of revenues. These ratios are far beyond the threshold of debt sustainability for Less Developing Countries. Although, the country is qualified technically to benefit from the HIPCs initiatives, but the Sudan has been banned from entering into the initiative, partly because the country needs to settle its arrears to the major creditors, i.e., IMF, World Bank (WB), and African Development Bank (AFDB), Paris and Non-Paris Club Creditors, and partly due to political demands imposed by the international community (in general and US in particular) to solve the Darfur problem.

Au lendemain de l'apartheid, le secteur agricole sud-africain a connu un processus de dérégulation sans précédent, rompant ainsi avec le paternalisme étatique du régime précédent. Cette libéralisation agricole va se traduire par la montée en puissance de " macro-acteurs ", entre autres des grandes banques commerciales sud-africaines, sociétés d'ingénierie agricole et fonds d'investissement, comme acteurs moteurs du secteur. Celles-ci vont progressivement renforcer leur participation au sein des filières, et particulièrement dans le segment de la production primaire agricole. De nouveaux modèles de production et de financement (ex. : " pre-crop contract ") apparaissent dans lesquels ces acteurs contrôlent la totalité des filières où ils sont engagés. Il apparaît ainsi une mainmise par quelques macro-acteurs (souvent non-agricoles, à structures capitalistes) sur la production agricole, considérée comme une denrée de spéculation sur les marchés financiers (Safex à Johannesbourg, marché à termes de Chicago). Si d'une part cela pose des questions sur le statut des producteurs (qui deviennent des rentiers voire des salariés des établissements, ne possédant plus leur récolte, et ne sont pas impliqués dans le processus de prise de décision, constituant ainsi un nouveau " prolétariat agricole "), d'autre part ces nouvelles pratiques remettent en avant les questions de souveraineté alimentaire et de régulation agricole. Ces questions sont primordiales vu qu'en l'absence d'un modèle alternatif, cette conception du développement agricole devient à présent le paradigme de référence, en Afrique du Sud mais également en Afrique. Il est en effet adopté par les agences publiques de développement (Nouveau partenariat pour le développement de l'Afrique : NEPAD, Banque africaine de développement : AfDB) et est exporté par ces " macro-acteurs " dans le cadre de leur expansion économique sur le continent.

2015 dissertation for MSc Finance and Risk. Selected by academic staff as a good example of a masters level dissertation. Purpose - The aim of this dissertation is to examine the role of capital markets development in the economic health of the African development Bank (AFDB) regional and non regional member countries. Also to evaluate how the stock market indexes located in those countries manage their market risk and volatility. This paper combines various econometric models for a thorough analysis. Methodologies/Approaches - This study uses time series and panel data designs to find out whether the stock market development influences economic growth, explaining the exact nature of this relationship. It also uses delta-normal Value at Risk and GARCH (1, 1) approaches in order to the stock indexes risk and volatility. Results - The finding shows the evidence of finance-led growth in most countries (with the exception of United Kingdom and Cote d'Ivoire) since there are one or several significant variables. Therefore we accepted the null hypothesis for these two countries and rejected for the eight the other countries. Nevertheless, the results have highlighted the significance of Market capitalization (size proxy) and turnover ratio (liquidity proxy) to the economic growth in most cases. The risk and volatility tests conclude that Japan, Brazil, South Africa, Egypt and UK have the most volatile and riskiest stock indexes. Recommendations - The key role of African governments is to create suitable environments by establishing efficient and flexible regulations to motivate foreign investments, prioritising domestic awareness about financial services and creating a stable political climate to make investments possible. Value/Originality - This dissertation performs an array of econometric models on two African markets' major concerns.

Water and Sanitation is so important that it has been recognised as a human right by the United Nations and is the 10th target of Goal 7 of the Millennium Development Goals. Improving Water and Sanitation is cardinal in uplifting the living conditions as well as the dignity of the Zambian people, achieving the MDGs and in the development of the country as a whole. The Zambian government through a US$36.9 million water and sanitation project financed in large part by the African Development Bank (AfDB) through a loan and grant amounting to US$33 million embarked on the Central Province Eight Centres Water Supply and Sanitation Project. The project is aimed at improving the quality and delivery of water supply and sanitation services in eight project centres in Central Province. This is in response to the poor water supply and sanitation situation and in line with Government strategy of promoting access to water and sanitation services as a means of reducing poverty and improving the quality of service delivery. This report monitors the implementation and impact of this project. It further offers recommendations on what can be done to ensure improved transparency and accountability in acquiring debt and in managing debt resources so as to avoid another debt trap as well as ensuring that the country borrows for the right reasons. ; The poor water supply and sanitation situation in the Central Province resulted the Zambian government to acquire a loan and grant amounting to US$33 million from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to embark on a US$36.9 million project aimed at improving the quality and delivery of water supply and sanitation services in eight project centres in Central Province. The purpose of this study is to monitor the implementation and impact of the Central Province Water and Sanitation project and assess the necessity of contracting the loan for carrying out the project in Central Province. Previous resource monitoring reports show that substantial amounts of financial resources were directed towards debt servicing at the expense of social service expenditure and national development. The dominant explanation that the country is likely to fall back into the debt trap is due to the lack of a legal framework that provides approval or oversight to loan contraction and debt sustainability. Kapiri Mposhi was chosen as the district of study, desk research, stakeholder consultation, site inspection, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and household questionnaires were used for data collection. Using a qualitative analysis, the study used FGDs minutes to analyse the data and in writing the report. Despite investment through the project into water supply and construction of Mushimbili dam, the majority of the residents still have no access to safe drinking water as they still rely on the water wells and streams. This is because, most residents have not been able to connect to the water supply system due to high cost of connection. The study also found that the sanitation component of the project has thus had no impact even after completion of pipe laying. The project did not include connection of the lines to the houses and the residents have not taken up the responsibility of having their houses connected due to the high cost of connection. The project has also not done well in the provision of basic sanitation services through the VIP latrines in the district. To achieve the set objectives, the government through the implementing agency, need to work with all the stakeholders to ensure the gaps identified are sealed. A lot thus still needs to be done if the project is to have any meaningful impact on the lives of the residents of Kapiri Mposhi in as far as access to safe water and sanitation is concerned.

Intro -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Chapter 1: Introduction -- 1.1 What Is Fraud and Corruption? -- Part I: Fraud and Corruption Cases -- Chapter 2: Construction/Manufacturing -- 2.1 Siemens -- 2.1.1 Text from the Website of the US Department of Justice -- 2.1.2 Text from the US Department of Justice Website -- 2.1.3 The Following Text is from the EIB Website (18/1/2020): -- 2.1.4 The Following Text is from Siemens´ Website -- 2.2 Alstom -- 2.2.1 Text from the US Department of Justice (DoJ) Website -- 2.2.2 Text from the Website of the UK SFO -- 2.2.3 Text from the Website of the UK SFO -- 2.2.4 Text from EIB Website (8/1/22) -- 2.2.5 Text from the EBRD´s Website (3/12/2019) -- 2.2.6 Text from the AfDB´s Website -- 2.2.7 Also, Text from the FCPA Blog (www.fcpablog.com) Article -- 2.3 SNC Lavalin -- 2.3.1 Text is an excerpt from Wikipedia (on 30/11/19) -- 2.3.2 Text from the World Bank Website -- 2.4 Wasim Tappuni -- 2.4.1 Text from the UK´s City of London Police Website -- 2.5 Odebrecht/Braskem -- 2.5.1 Text from BBC News Website -- 2.5.2 Text from the US DoJ Website -- 2.5.3 Text from the US DoJ Website -- 2.5.4 From the US Department of Justice Website -- 2.5.5 From IDB´s Website -- Chapter 3: Financial Services -- 3.1 Malaysia Development Berhad -- 3.1.1 Text from Wikipedia (January 21, 2022) -- 3.1.2 Text from US Department of Justice Website (January 21, 2022) -- 3.1.3 Text from US Department of Justice Website (January 21, 2022) -- 3.2 Goldman Sachs: 1MDB -- 3.2.1 Text from US Department of Justice Website (11 February 2022) -- 3.3 Bernard L Madoff -- 3.3.1 Text from Wikipedia (January 21, 2022) -- 3.4 Wells Fargo -- 3.4.1 Text from Wikipedia (January 23, 2022) -- 3.5 NatWest -- 3.5.1 Text from the US Department of Justice -- 3.6 Credit Suisse (Mozambique) -- 3.6.1 Text from US DoJ Website (February 5, 2022).

The purpose of this Guidance Note is to provide advice to various stakeholders about what is expected in good practice social impact assessment (SIA) and social impact management processes, especially in relation to project development. Project development refers to dams, mines, oil and gas drilling, factories, ports, airports, pipelines, electricity transmission corridors, roads, railway lines and other infrastructure including large-scale agriculture, forestry and aquaculture projects. This Guidance Note builds on IAIA's (2003) International Principles for Social Impact Assessment. While the International Principles outline the overarching understandings of the SIA field, including the expected values of the profession, this document seeks to provide advice on good practice in the undertaking and appraisal of SIAs and the adaptive management of projects to address the social issues. As a statement of good and sometimes leading practice, not all the information in this document will necessarily be applicable in every situation – people utilising this information will need to establish for themselves what is appropriate in each particular context. The intended users of this document include: • SIA Practitioners/Consultants who want to know how their practice compares with international best practice; • Project Developers/Proponents (private sector or government) to assist them in evaluating SIA consultants and in knowing what to expect from consultants; • Regulatory agencies in terms of judging the quality and acceptability of SIA reports and in determining what procedures and expectations will be; • Social specialists in the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), such as the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the African Development Bank (AfDB), European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); • Social staff in other financial institutions, especially Equator Principles banks; • Development cooperation agencies; • Government planning agencies; • Communities and local peoples; • Civil society organizations; • People responsible for SIA regulatory frameworks.

The rural sector, defined here as the economic sector that falls under the scope of the Ministry of Agriculture and Water (MAH), the Ministry of Animal Resources (MRA), and the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development (MEDD), is one of the pillars of the Burkina Faso economy. Although its contribution to GDP has decreased in recent times from 35 percent in 1999 to 30 percent in 2011 due to the development of the other sectors of the economy, agricultural activity still employs approximately 86 percent of Burkina Faso s labor force and is the main source of income for poorer populations. Consequently, the rural sector is among the primary beneficiaries of public expenditures by the Burkina Faso government and constitutes one of the pillars of the Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Sustainable Development (SCADD) adopted in 2010. The goals of this agriculture public expenditure review in Burkina Faso are as follows: draw lessons from the past in terms of budget execution in the agricultural sector in order to promote the design and implementation of public expenditure programs that are more efficient and more equitable and have a greater impact; initiate the implementation of the databases and methodology required to conduct similar reviews regularly and thus contribute to the institutionalization of the process; and contribute to establishing the conditions for increased support for the sector while encouraging the harmonization and alignment of support with respect for national strategies.