Cambodia’s primary education curriculum allocates a relatively high proportion of time to literacy and numeracy, indicating that curriculum design itself is not the main barrier to student learning. However, actual instruction time is significantly lower than the prescribed 728 hours due to instruction time loss, which some studies estimate could be as high as a… [Read More]
Improving Teaching Quality and Instruction Time to Boost Primary Education in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, November 25, 2025 — Cambodia has made significant progress in enrolling children in school, but urgent improvements are needed in classroom teaching, according to two new World Bank reports. The studies examine both the quality and quantity of instruction in primary schools and provide recommendations to strengthen basic literacy and numeracy, ensuring all… [Read More]
Cambodia’s Primary Education Reform: Enhancing Teaching Quality and Performance Incentives
Cambodia’s primary education sector has seen a significant rise in the attractiveness of the teaching profession, with a notable increase in high-caliber candidates applying for teaching positions. Between 2014 and 2024, half of the teacher trainees came from the top decile of Grade 12 examinees. Public primary school teacher salaries, adjusted for inflation, more than… [Read More]
ADB Supports Armenia’s Power Grid Modernization to Boost Energy Security
In the early 1990s, Armenia faced a severe energy crisis following the collapse of the Soviet Union and political tensions that disrupted energy supplies. The country’s only nuclear power plant, Metsamor, had been halted after the 1988 Spitak earthquake, leaving Armenia almost entirely dependent on hydropower. Widespread blackouts paralyzed industries and households, with electricity available… [Read More]
Financial Intermediary Fund Established to Support Gaza’s Reconstruction and Development
Conflict in Gaza has caused severe damage to its people, infrastructure, and economy, creating enormous recovery needs that go beyond traditional post-conflict reconstruction. By mid-2025, total recovery and reconstruction requirements in Gaza exceeded $67 billion, according to the Addendum to the Interim Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (IRDNA) led by the World Bank Group, the… [Read More]
World Bank: Creating Jobs Essential for Faster Poverty Reduction and Social Equality in Bangladesh
Bangladesh achieved significant progress in poverty reduction between 2010 and 2022, lifting 25 million people out of poverty and 9 million out of extreme poverty, while improving access to electricity, education, and sanitation. However, since 2016, the pace of poverty reduction has slowed, and economic growth has become less inclusive, according to the Bangladesh Poverty… [Read More]
From Green Sukuk to Greener Halal Value Chains: Islamic Finance Driving Climate Solutions
The report analyzes the role of Islamic finance in advancing sustainable and climate finance within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries, examining market trends, financial instruments, and innovations. Drawing on surveys of Islamic finance professionals, halal industry enterprises, and interviews with policymakers and private sector participants, the report identifies opportunities and challenges for… [Read More]
Boosting Economic Stability and Employment in The Gambia
The World Bank Group has approved $45 million in grant financing from the International Development Association (IDA) to support The Gambia in enhancing domestic revenue mobilization, developing key infrastructure, strengthening the regulatory and skills environment for private sector growth, and improving climate resilience. The funding aims to help the government implement transformational reforms to sustain… [Read More]
World Bank Supports India with Two Projects to Enhance Education and Digital Agriculture
The World Bank has approved two projects in India aimed at improving education outcomes in Punjab and boosting farmers’ incomes in Maharashtra through innovative digital solutions. Together, these initiatives are expected to benefit over six million people, enhancing economic development, poverty reduction, and livelihoods through technology-driven interventions in key sectors. The Punjab Outcomes-Acceleration in School… [Read More]
Nigeria Faces Sharp Spike in Hunger Amid Escalating Insurgent Violence
Northern Nigeria is facing unprecedented levels of hunger amid growing instability and a surge in insurgent attacks, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned. According to the latest Cadre Harmonisé regional food security analysis, nearly 35 million people are projected to experience severe food insecurity during the 2026 lean season, marking the highest… [Read More]
Asia-Pacific Nuclear Safety Strengthened Through ADB-IAEA Partnership
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen cooperation on the safe, peaceful, and sustainable use of nuclear energy in Asia and the Pacific. The agreement was signed by ADB President Masato Kanda and IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, aiming to… [Read More]
India: ADB Provides $398.8 Million to Boost Healthcare Infrastructure and Medical Education in Assam
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $398.8 million loan to support Assam, India, in transforming its healthcare and medical education systems. The funding will be used under the Assam State Tertiary Health Care Augmentation Project to modernize Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) into a state-of-the-art super-specialty facility and upgrade Assam Medical College… [Read More]
Pakistan: ADB Provides $48 Million Additional Financing for Balochistan Water Resources Project
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved an additional $48 million loan for the Balochistan Water Resources Development Sector Project in Pakistan. This funding will complete critical components of the project, including the Churi Infiltration Gallery subproject, development of the Siri Toi Dam command area, and watershed management activities, which had been delayed due to… [Read More]
African Development Fund Commits $7 Million to Advance Run-of-River Hydropower Development in Liberia
The African Development Fund has approved an additional $7.41 million loan to help complete Liberia’s Renewable Energy for Electrification project. This new financing will address cost overruns related to the construction of the run-of-river hydropower plant, associated infrastructure, and project management delays. It will also support underfunded components, including the implementation of the Gender Action… [Read More]
AfDB Invests $24 Million to Accelerate Tanzania’s Private Sector Agro-Industrial Expansion
The African Development Bank Group has approved a $24.6 million senior corporate loan to Mohammed Enterprises Tanzania Limited (MeTL) to revitalise and expand the country’s agro-industrial production. The initiative aims to modernise tea, sisal, and macadamia value chains while improving processing capacity, sustainability, and market competitiveness. The project will rehabilitate ageing tea estates, convert over… [Read More]
Africa Investment Forum Hosts Inaugural ‘Mission 300’ Day to Drive Universal Energy Access
The inaugural Mission 300 Day, held alongside the Africa Investment Forum 2025 in Rabat, brought together the World Bank Group, the African Development Bank Group, and key partners to accelerate efforts toward providing electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030. The event showcased National Energy Compacts developed by participating countries and highlighted investment-ready opportunities… [Read More]
Tunisia Secures AfDB Financing to Upgrade and Strengthen Greater Tunis Water Supply System
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group has approved a €111.5 million financing package to modernise and improve the drinking water network in Greater Tunis, an urban area serving nearly 2.7 million people. The investment aims to secure drinking water supply, reduce technical losses across the system, and optimise the energy performance… [Read More]
ADF Commits $14 Million to Scale Up Climate Resilience Efforts Across the Sahel
The African Development Fund’s Board of Directors has approved a $14.64 million grant to finance Project 2 of the Programme to Strengthen Resilience to Food and Nutrition Insecurity in the Sahel. The decision, announced in Abidjan on 21 November 2025, provides additional support to help Sahelian communities confront growing climate challenges. The financing comes through… [Read More]
Violence Against Women and Girls Remains High Across Western Pacific, WHO Finds
Updated data from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveal that violence against women and girls remains a widespread and persistent issue globally. Nearly one in three women and girls experience intimate partner or sexual violence during their lifetime, a figure that has remained largely unchanged since 2000. This enduring problem represents a major public health… [Read More]
WHO Recognizes Public Health Wales as Centre for Advancing Digital Health Equity
WHO/Europe has designated Public Health Wales in the United Kingdom as a new collaborating centre for digital health equity. This partnership will play a pivotal role in shaping WHO’s initiatives on digital health equity and fostering collaboration and advocacy among stakeholders across the European region. A 2022 study by WHO/Europe and Public Health Wales highlighted… [Read More]
WHO Partners with Egypt to Boost ARI Detection and Response Systems
On 23 November 2025, Cairo hosted the annual meeting and workshop on integrated surveillance of acute respiratory infections (ARIs), organized by the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Egypt. Around 270 public health professionals, including epidemiologists, data officers, physicians, nurses, and laboratory specialists from… [Read More]
Global strategy: WHO launches framework to fight antimicrobial resistance in HIV, hepatitis, and STIs
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released the Integrated Drug Resistance Action Framework for HIV, hepatitis B and C, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) 2026–2030, providing a strategic roadmap to tackle the growing threat of drug resistance and protect progress toward ending AIDS, hepatitis, and STI epidemics as major public health concerns. The framework emphasizes… [Read More]
Promoting mental health: WHO launches cross-sectoral guidance for governments
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidance aimed at protecting and promoting mental health across all government sectors, advancing a “mental health in all policies” approach. For the first time, the guidance outlines what individual government sectors can do, as well as how they can collaborate, to support population-wide mental health and well-being…. [Read More]
