How effective is the World Bank's assistance on agriculture in Africa?

The World Bank Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) has released a report on World Bank assistance to agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. (October 2007, 204 p.)

This study assesses the development effectiveness of World Bank assistance in addressing constraints to agricultural development in Africa over the period of fiscal years 1991–2006.

In order to effectively support the implementation of the Africa Action Plan and its appropriate focus on agricultural development as a key priority, the study recommends that the Bank:

• focus attention on achieving improvements in agricultural productivity


• increase the quantity and quality of analytical work and ensure that policy advice and lending are grounded in its findings, and rebuild its technical skills


• establish clear benchmarks for measuring progress