2015/327/AFR & 2015/335/AFR – World Bank Press releases on Kampala and Kenya

 

Kampala 2008

2015/327/AFR – Managing Rapid Urbanization Can Help Uganda Achieve Sustainable and Inclusive Growth:

KAMPALA, March 03, 2015— Uganda’s urban population will increase from six million in 2013 to over 20 million in 2040. Policy makers need to act now to ensure that this rapid urbanization is managed well, so it can contribute to Uganda’s sustainable and inclusive growth, a report released today by the World Bank Group shows.

For the first time, the report compares data on urban areas and their populations in a consistent manner across Uganda, providing governments and local leaders with analyses to improve planning and coordination to deliver better services, jobs and opportunities, making cities more competitive.

“The typical Ugandan city has grown rapidly, but without sufficient policy coordination. As a result, urbanization has not necessarily resulted in increased productivity, with the majority of jobs created involving low productivity activities,” said Hon. Daudi Migereko, Minister of Lands, and Housing and Urban Development. “This report will help government get a better picture and take action on how to spur the economy from the lackluster growth performance experienced over the past half-decade, to a higher growth path that can catapult the country into middle income status.”

The Fifth Uganda Economic Update, titled: “The Growth Challenge: Can Ugandan Cities get to Work?” focusses on urbanization and notes that while the majority of the population is still concentrated in rural areas, non-agricultural economic growth and jobs are concentrated in urban areas. The report shows that while cities can help propel growth, the speed of urbanization is challenging and can lead to congestion and strain infrastructure, lowering productivity.

“By managing the urbanization process effectively, Uganda will be more likely to achieve middle income status by 2040. However, current patterns of growth pose a significant challenge,” said Philippe Dongier, the Country Director for the World Bank Group for Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi. “Urban population growth multiplies the number of challenges already facing urban areas and hinders their ability to be the sources of growth, to create productive jobs and to provide decent housing to urban residents.”

The Update has been prepared to assist government in ensuring that its cities are ready to accommodate the increasing number of residents expected to settle in urban areas and able to facilitate the growth of business enterprises, thereby creating opportunities for productive employment for a greater proportion of city residents.

“Cities have the potential to propel growth, attracting capital, spurring innovation, providing higher productivity jobs. Services can be provided more cost-effectively, improving access for all,” said Somik Lall, Lead Urban Economist. “To reap these benefits, urban growth needs to be managed well by planning for land use and basic services, connecting to make a city’s markets accessible, and financing to meet infrastructure needs.”

“To ensure the development of functional cities, the public sector will require the coordination of a range of different types of investment, including investment in physical planning for buildings and the provision of transport, housing and social services,” said Rachel Sebudde, Senior Economist and Lead author of the report. “Each layer faces its own coordination challenges. It is better to anticipate and plan for this at the very early stages of the urbanization process, as it becomes very difficult to correct mistakes retrospectively.”

Policy makers at national and municipal levels have an important role to play in ensuring that urbanization is sustainable and inclusive by ensuring that land and property rights are conducive for increasing economic density of cities. They will also have to improve mobility through better transport infrastructure and systems, as well as improve living conditions through better housing policies. Furthermore, it will be critical to improve access to social services such health and education; and levelling access to, and quality of, public services such as water and sanitation services.

Urbanization in Numbers

• 6.4 million Ugandans live in urban areas
• 70 percent of non-agricultural GDP in Uganda is generated in urban areas
• 54 percent of people living in Central region are residing in urban areas
• Central region has the highest number of people living in urban areas, but the Eastern region is the fastest urbanizing region during the first decade of 2000s
• Kampala is home to 31 percent of Uganda’s urban population
• 69 percent of Uganda’s urban population live in small cities with less than 500,000 people
• 21 million people will live in urban areas in Uganda by 2040
• By 2013, 38 percent of the urban population was connected to the electricity grid
• The number of firms engaged in real estate and business services in Kampala is 11 times the overall average across districts
• Over the first decade of the 2000s, cities accounted for 36 percent of overall job growth
• Walking is the main mode of transport in Kampala, and 70 percent of the residents of Kampala walk to work
• 80 percent of the global economic activity is generated in cities

2015/335/AFR – Kenya Among the Fastest Growing Economies in Africa:

Nairobi, March 5, 2015—Buoyed by falling oil prices, Kenya’s growth is projected to rise from 5.4 percent in 2014 to 6-7 percent over the next three years (2015-2017), making it one of the fastest-growing economies in Sub-Saharan Africa according to the latest Kenya Economic Update (KEU) published by the World Bank.

The eleventh edition of the KEU notes that external and internal balances are expected to improve significantly, thanks to falling oil prices. In addition public investment in infrastructure, mainly in energy and standard gauge railways, will strengthen growth in the medium term.

“Kenya is emerging as one of Africa’s key growth centers with sound economic policies in place for future improvement” said Diarietou Gaye, the World Bank’s Country Director for Kenya. “To sustain momentum, Kenya needs to continue investing in infrastructure and jobs, improve its business climate, and boost it exports.”

The report says that the country’s expansive fiscal policy allowed it to finance major infrastructure projects without putting excessive pressure on domestic financing. “Kenya’s accommodative monetary policy stance has supported economic activities without triggering inflation or putting pressure on the exchange rate.” said John Randa, World Bank Group’s Senior Economist for Kenya and lead author of the report.

Challenges remain

Sluggish demand for exports and their declining production is widening the country’s current account deficit. The report suggests that in order to anchor and sustain growth, Kenya needs to boost productivity and improve the business environment to regain and increase its competitiveness.

In recent years the manufacturing’s contribution to Kenyan exports and growth has fallen behind and performance has been less than optimal. “Kenya needs to increase the competitiveness of its manufacturing sector so that the country can grow, export, and create much-needed jobs, said Maria Paulina Mogollon, World Bank Group’s Private Sector Development Specialist and a co-author of the report.       

A strong manufacturing sector will create more employment, especially for young people in Kenya. The report suggests that this will also increase exports and reduce the country’s external vulnerability from a widening account deficit.

The report highlights key steps for Kenya to take including  implementing the business reform agenda, completing reforms at the port of Mombasa, improving the efficiency of its massive infrastructural projects, strengthening governance, improving productivity, and continuing to maintain macroeconomic stability.

The KEU is prepared by the World Bank in collaboration with stakeholders from the government especially the members of the Economic Roundtable who include the Ministry of Devolution and Planning, Ministry of Industrialization and Enterprise Development, Central Bank of Kenya, Kenya School of Monetary Studies, Kenya Vision 20130 Secretariat, Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and the International Monetary Fund.

209-06-02-2105: Press release on consultations of Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov in Indonesia (06.02.2015)

Bilateral political consultations were held between Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and Director-General for American and European Affairs Dian Triansyah Djani at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry. Mr Morgulov also held a meeting with ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh.

While at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, the sides discussed, in a friendly atmosphere, the condition and prospects of bilateral relations and opportunities to enhance their cooperation on urgent global and regional issues. They emphasized the need to further consolidate political dialogue, promote economic, trade and investment cooperation, and expand coordination in international affairs while emphasizing multilateral cooperation in the United Nations — and chiefly in resolving the situation in the Middle East and North Africa and countering ISIS.

Mr Minh and Mr Morgulov discussed specific steps for enhancing the practical dialogue and partnership between Russia and ASEAN and joint efforts on creating a new architecture of security and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region.

What gives? (Latest thoughts of the saga between Ukraine and Russia)

While we all should enjoy the time we living in, it’s hard to sometimes see the fix. Fixing the issues and making the world a better place. Crimean peninsula is now official from the Russian side, a separate entity – which is not a part of Ukraine anymore. Wesley Snipes didn’t show up. The western reaction to it all is meager economic sanctions on the top leaders of the Russian regime. Ukraine is on their side in the trenches and hoping for an outcome to their sovereignty as a single nation. They has been trespassed over the border with arms and taken control over their territory.

Here we are in point where the aggression from Moscow is at final position and carving the map of Europe again. Russia and Vladimir Putin the President is showing his hand. Not caring about what world thinks of his actions. Barrack Obama and David Cameroon have acted but softly… The same has the Norwegian and other Scandinavian countries. The Polish fears with such a close tie to the Russian Federation that they might act, the same does the Baltic nations. Surprisingly, the NATO is proving some moves with sending planes to Poland. All the military co-operation which was scheduled between Russia and the western countries has shut that down. The other complications are simply closing the deals and agreements between them. So all the barriers that has been driven down since the cold-war is now crumbling. Western hemisphere is closing the gates building up shadow walls, as long it’s not hurting their economies, since that is unstable still after the economic crash of 2008. That has made a difference and also connected the world. The outsourcing and the modern day industry is now in another stage.

Gazproom is one of the big companies who supply Europe with Gas. Not only giving money to Schalke04 and also Champions League. We’ll all going to see that tonight before the match between Manchester United – Olympiacos on Old Trafford. We all know that the Oligarcs of Russia is spending the leftover in London and especially in “the City”.

We can eat our chips and I wonder about the next move of both the western hemisphere and the Russia. So here we are. What that will bust first and the reactions. What is the next move of Russians? That is the difference then that the Presidential aid of Russia Vladislav Surkov will only main thing is about Tupac and few other celebrities that he don’t need to access to the country to listen to. So there we have it. The meager response and economic sanctions isn’t working if that’s the ones actions we can expect. Then I can say: “that it won’t matter”. Even though we wish differently, the end scenario is that Crimea will end up in Russia. Russia can VETO in the United Nation’s Security Council so the issues is server. UN can’t make a fuss or stress anything because of how the organization is built up!

The NATO and the western hemisphere are stuck. They have already showed the force of the small sanctions given to them. Putin knew this was coming. He’s a sly man who thinks and now that an actions has a chain reaction. Obama and Cameroon isn’t doing much. Angela Merkel isn’t really acting. EU and Ashton aren’t moving in a big way either!

This is the way it is. Ukraine is weak after the turmoil. Ukraine has been through the madness of revolution and kicking the president out of his office for the second time in his career. Russia is playing the big man yet again. It did so in Georgia in 2008. This time they have actually soon annexed it (Crimea). Which entails a lot, where do we go from here? How does this change the world as we know it?

We need some strong remedy over here. So before we go back ancient ways and medieval on ourselves because well, Russia isn’t playing ball. Neither of us know how this is going or where it’s ending up. Ukraine… isn’t up to parts with Russia, not military and economic power. Secondly the bills and tab that Russia has on gas bill was the playing card for this game. We can just see where it goes and how this story ends. Because the end usually has to break even.

There is big stakes on table, how the pot will be squeezed and usually in this game – nobody really wins and those who take the fall usually are the innocent loses their ground. And the winner usually really doesn’t has much to show for it, because of the sense of victory is a weak puzzle. The other loosing part of the tale never gets told and the innocent dies silently like it always does. Because heck! Nobody really cares, and if they do, their microphone are to little, their tv-station has to small of a base or that the newspaper isn’t powerful enough if it doesn’t have naked chicks on page 3-4 and an interview of a porn-star in the middle of the business section!

I know that the last remark wasn’t friendly, but what gives?

Peace!