In Beijing in China this Thursday, May 10, the World Bank in collaboration with the University of China organized an economic round table whose theme is: “Jobs and economic transformation”. At this important meeting, we note the presence of eminent personalities such as officials of the World Bank, senior officials of China including among others its Minister of Economy and Finance, the Ambassador of Benin in China Simon Pierre Adovèlandé, Beninese Minister of Economy and Finance Romuald Wadagni, etc … Job creation and economic transformation is a major challenge for many developing countries. All the countries eligible for funding from the international development program and the World Bank’s Association (IDA), with estimates, will have to register around 600 million new members in the labor market by then. Creating more and better jobs in these countries requires economic transformation; above all, it will be a question of shifting workers from lower productivity activities to more productive ones. This requires a dynamism of the private sector which will have to be supported by public policy actions. During the IDA18 replenishment discussions, shareholders agreed that the focus would be on jobs and economic transformation. They understood that these are the real levers that will make it possible to achieve the development objectives by 2030. During the IDA18 period (2017-2020), IDA will provide funding of $ 75 billion to promote resilience and create opportunities. This expanded support will build on a track record of understanding and addressing employment issues and economic transformation, and leveraging partnerships and global initiatives. The workshop organized on May 10 in Beijing aimed to advance the dialogue between political decision-makers on the subjects of jobs and economic transformation. Participants discussed issues of recent analytical studies and the cases of selected countries. Each other’s views and approaches were identified and opportunities for mobilization explored to support job creation and economic transformation in IDA countries.
