The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors today approved $376 million in international development association (IDA)* financing, including $60 million for Mauritania, to strengthen human capital and improve the region's human development performance.

This is the fourth additional funding under the Sahel Women's Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Project (SWEDD), a large-scale regional initiative launched in response to the 2014 call by the Presidents of Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Mauritania.

This new support brings the World Bank's total investment in SWEDD to $680 million, plus an additional €10 million invested by the French Development Agency (AFD) in parallel financing.

Phase 2 of the project will scale up ongoing activities in Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Mauritania and expand them to two new countries: Cameroon ($75 million) and Guinea ($60 million).

In Mauritania, this additional funding aims to expand a proven project fully aligned with the Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity Strategy (SCAPP) "Mauritania played a leading role during the first phase of SWEDD, in particular through the involvement of religious leaders at local and regional levels, to promote the schooling of girls, their integration into economic activity and ensure safe motherhood from adulthood," said Laurent Msellati, World Bank Country Manager for Mauritania.

"As the project grows, the new $60 million granted to the country will allow activities to continue at the community level, while supporting the implementation of the government's strategy, with a focus on women's empowerment as part of the program to promote social inclusion in the country. »

Overall, the project will continue to invest in activities that target adolescent girls and their communities to improve girls' psychosocial skills and knowledge of sexual and reproductive health, keep them in school and expand their economic opportunities.

It will also create an enabling environment for girls' social and economic empowerment by combining regulatory, religious and customary laws and standards, including a focus on prevention and better response to violence against women.

Investments will also facilitate access to essential medicines, including community-based contraceptive delivery, and strengthen the capacity of midwives to work with women and adolescent girls in rural areas.

An important component of SWEDD 2 is the focus on strengthening legal frameworks that support women's rights to health and education. The activities funded by the project were defined at national and regional level following consultations between parliamentarians, judges and lawyers, in swedD countries and beyond. They focus on strengthening legislation and the capacity of the judiciary, as well as promoting the dissemination and enforcement of existing legislation in communities where harmful practices are widespread.

SWEDD 2 will also support the West African Health Organization (WAHO) — the health arm of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) — in its efforts to promote a regional dialogue on improving prospects in rural areas, as well as in the organization of regional workshops to facilitate knowledge sharing. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) remains an important partner in coordinating technical assistance and supporting the implementation of the project, in particular through the use of specialized partners and in the conduct of the regional campaign to communicate and promote social behaviour change.

In addition, the project has been enriched, with the African Union (AU), by a new strategic partner. Bringing together 55 states, the AU is the largest intergovernmental organization on the continent and, as such, is a leading forum for social and economic transformation. This partnership will strengthen the AU's capacity to serve as a framework for the codification of political and legal reforms, facilitate peer-to-peer exchange and communicate progress in areas related to the promotion of women's empowerment on the continent.

The SWEDD project is in line with the AU's Agenda 2063, as well as the national strategies of the various beneficiary countries. It also contributes to the World Bank Group's Regional Integration and Cooperation Strategy, which focuses on human capital development and focuses in particular on promoting women's economic empowerment.

* The International Development Association (IDA) is the World Bank's institution that helps the world's poorest countries. Founded in 1960, it provides grants and loans at low or no interest to finance projects and programs that stimulate economic growth, reduce poverty and improve the lives of the poor.

IDA is one of the largest donors to the world's 76 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Its resources concretely benefit 1.6 billion people. Since its inception, IDA has supported development activities in 113 countries. The annual volume of its commitments has averaged $21 billion over the past three years, with about 61 per cent of this amount going to Africa.