A new World Bank report says countries in the Middle East and North Africa need to overhaul their education systems in order to thrive in the new global economy. The report says the region has made important progress in improving literacy and closing the gender gap, but needs to shift the emphasis to teaching key skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and languages. VOA Correspondent Challiss McDonough has more from our Middle East bureau in Cairo.

A renewed focus on agricultural development is critical to successfully reducing global poverty and hunger, according to a new World Bank report co-authored by economists at the University of California, Berkeley.

Member nations of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank will open their annual meeting in Washington Saturday in the shadow of a worldwide economic slowdown.

Bisi Ojediran, the author of the bestseller, "The Governor's Wife", has dedicated his new Peter Abel novel to Dr. Mo Ibrahim.

Congo, The Democratic Republic of the — Back in April, at the World Bank's spring meeting, there was much talk about the plight of the Congo rainforest.

While 22 countries have actually increased gas flaring, 16 have made progress in reducing it, and nine have maintained stable levels of flaring over a 12-year period, according to the study

The World Bank’s Board of executive Directors today (August 28) approved an International Development Association (IDA) grant of US$11 million for the Transport Sector Development Project.

Mozambique Receives a Grant of US$6.2 Million for Market Led Smallholder Development Project in the Zambezi Valley

The World Bank’s Board of Directors today (August 23) approved a US$30 million loan to support Colombia’s efforts to increase rural competitiveness and build up entrepreneurship in poor rural communities through partnership schemes with the commercial private sector.

The World Bank announced today (August 20) a grant of US$400,000 through the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDR) to assist the Government of Peru in responding to the aftermath of the earthquake that shook the south of Peru on August 15.

The World Bank today (July 26) announced it will work with Jamaican authorities to prepare a Second HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Project based on the current program’s successful performance and ratings.

The World Bank (WB) will issue a $200 million loan to Ukraine to rehabilitate its power system, a spokesman for the country's Finance Ministry said Friday.