Competitiveness

Join us in a conversation with William Maloney, Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean, and high-level experts, as we explore new growth opportunities emerging in the global economy and how the region can actively engage to drive inclusive and sustainable development. 

Every year, MIGA presents its Gender Leadership Award honoring senior managers who have a proven track record of seeking to further the causes of women’s advancement and gender equality. MIGA is delighted to recognize this year's awardee, Claudia María González Arteaga, Chief Financial Officer at Bancóldex (Banco de Desarrollo Empresarial de Colombia). Her dedication to innovation has boosted access to credit for MSMEs (Micro-, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises) in Colombia. Her work is helping to build a green economy and support gender equality in the country. 

What can be done to improve economic opportunities for women and empower them at work and at home? Join the live launch of the World Bank's Women, Business and the Law 2023 study.

Joins us to discuss how nature loss is an economic and development issue, and how it is linked to climate change, as well as pathways to undertake both nature and climate-smart development in the future, including through expanding our economic toolkit beyond GDP to account for the wealth provided by nature.

The COVID-19 pandemic has offered a dramatic test case for the effectiveness of digital solutions across the Middle East and North Africa region, from the Ocean to the Gulf. Together with universal and affordable broadband, the widespread availability of cashless payments is a key enabler for digital transformation and a driver for economic recovery. The objective of this webinar, organized in partnership with the Arab Monetary Fund, is to increase awareness of how digital payments can support job creation, enhanced service delivery, and inclusion of youth and women. This webinar is the second of the MENA Tech talk series, which aims to engage with high-level decision makers, policymakers, regulators, private sector business leaders, and influencers, to share a vision and strategies to successfully foster digital transformation in the region. The event will be livestreamed and will offer simultaneous interpretation in Arabic, English, and French. It will include a panel discussion and testimonials from civil society organizations and the private sector, ...

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of digital technologies in African countries, and the latest Africa’s Pulse provides new evidence on how digital is enhancing the productivity of existing jobs and creating new jobs, for people of all skill levels and backgrounds. This is particularly important as the region looks toward economic recovery post-pandemic, and many Sub-Saharan African countries are making tremendous investments to advance digital adoption and build skills. Against the backdrop of a COVID-19 induced recession, African countries are weathering the economic storm better than expected and are poised for recovery, but the strength of this recovery depends on the reforms, policies, and investments that countries make now.   Hosted by Georja Calvin-Smith of France 24, join a panel of Africa’s distinguished ministers, entrepreneurs, and leaders in the digital space to discuss the future of work in Africa. They will touch on how governments can support digital transformation, discuss the macroeconomic outlook for the region and how ...

Join our next #OneSouthAsia live conversation to hear how three women entrepreneurs are navigating the pandemic and tapping regional opportunities to create jobs, contribute to economic growth, and reduce gender gaps. South Asia has the world’s lowest rate of women entrepreneurs, with just 18% of small, medium and large businesses principally owned by a woman. Few engage in trade. As South Asia rebuilds after COVID-19, the region needs more women entrepreneurs to help drive innovations in services and products. Entrepreneurs Maheen Adamjee of Pakistan, Sairee Chahal of India, and Ayanthi Gurusinghe of Sri Lanka will share their experiences growing their businesses domestically and regionally, accessing finance, and using digital technology. Former banker Anshula Kant, now chief financial officer of the World Bank Group, will offer insights about the World Bank’s support to women entrepreneurs globally and in South Asia. Cecile Fruman, the World Bank’s direction of regional integration and engagement in South Asia, will lead the conversation. No ...

The World Bank Group and the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) are hosting the seventh GW October Annual Entrepreneurship Conference. The event will bring together policymakers and experts from around the world to share insights on how to support small and medium enterprises and promote entrepreneurship as a key driver of local growth and innovation.

At a time when other regions are looking inward, this event will highlight the way in which Latin America, and particularly Argentina and Pacific Alliance countries, are taking steps to better integrate with the rest of the world, to boost growth and tackle their development challenges. The Pacific Alliance is a regional integration initiative comprised by Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, some of the most dynamic economies in LAC. It seeks to be a new generation agreement, with a strong outward-looking focus and a platform for common approaches to issues such as poverty reduction, competitiveness, protecting the environment and cultural promotion.