Inside the World Bank's $2.3 Billion Consulting Contracts in 2025
The World Bank awarded 15,630 consulting‑services contracts worth $2.3 billion in FY 2025, a 36.8% increase over the prior year. Over a third of all procurement went to consultants, with $713 million directed to projects in eastern and southern Africa. Nigeria emerged as the leading supplier country, securing $121 million in contracts, while health‑related consulting captured only $142 million of the total spend. The data highlights a shift toward low‑ and middle‑income firms winning large individual awards, such as a Nigerian architect‑engineer firm receiving $55 million.
Devex Invested: Banks Gear up for a World in Crisis
The World Bank and IMF have announced a joint effort to monitor and mitigate the economic fallout from the U.S.–Israeli war in Iran, focusing on energy‑importing low‑income nations. At the same time, the Asian Development Bank launched the Rapid Resource...
Devex CheckUp: Trump Asks to Eliminate Billions for Global Health — Again
The White House’s FY 2027 budget request allocates $5.1 billion to global health, a modest increase over the previous year but far below the $9.4 billion Congress approved for FY 2026. The proposal cuts funding for the World Health Organization, the Pan‑American Health Organization,...
Devex Newswire: Why Haven't More Aid Orgs Joined Forces?
After USAID’s 2025 collapse, aid NGOs expected a wave of mergers, yet consolidation remains scarce as mission‑driven cultures and upfront costs deter deals. Simultaneously, the State Department is rolling out an “America First” diplomatic curriculum and a G2G health strategy,...
Money Matters: Who Won Out in the New US-OCHA Deal?
The United States has earmarked $1.56 billion for humanitarian aid through the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), with 98% of the funds flowing to UN agencies and international NGOs. Local partners receive only about 13% of the...
Devex Pro Insider: What Should NGOs Do when a Program Just Isn’t Working?
Evidence Action, a $45 million NGO focused on evidence‑based development, announced it is scaling back its chlorine‑dispenser water‑treatment program in Uganda and Malawi after low adoption rates undermined expected health gains. The rollout faced three key obstacles: difficulty changing user behavior,...
In Drought-Hit Somalia, Savings Accounts Offer a Lifeline
A World Bank‑backed program called DRIVE is scaling across Somalia’s arid pastoral regions, pairing savings accounts with heavily subsidized livestock insurance. The scheme, run with Salaam Somali Bank and re‑insurer ZEP‑RE, automatically triggers cash payouts when satellite data confirms drought...
Kenya’s Flood Response Shows the Promise — and Limits — of ‘One Health’
In 2024, severe flooding in Kenya’s Tana River County sparked a cholera outbreak that overwhelmed local health facilities. Authorities deployed a One Health strategy, integrating human, animal, and environmental agencies to coordinate surveillance, water treatment, and vaccination campaigns. The approach...
Devex Newswire: US Congress Defies Trump with $600M for Family Planning
U.S. Congress approved a $600 million carve‑out for family planning and reproductive health within a broader $50 billion foreign‑affairs package, directly contradicting President Trump’s anti‑abortion agenda. The administration’s expanded Mexico City Policy and withdrawal from UN women agencies raise doubts about whether...
Early Diagnosis and Local Solutions Are Critical to Combat Lung Cancer
Lung cancer remains the world’s deadliest cancer, accounting for 1.8 million deaths in 2020. Early detection dramatically improves outcomes—five‑year survival jumps from under 30 % overall to about 60 % when diagnosed early, and low‑dose CT screening can push 20‑year survival above 80 %....
DRC Nears Historic 14.5% Abuja Target for Health Sovereignty
The Democratic Republic of Congo is rapidly reshaping its health financing by mobilising domestic resources and tightening public financial management. Core health allocations now exceed 5.5 trillion Congolese franc, while new revenue streams – a 2 % import levy and a mandatory...
IDB Ramps up Hiring of Private-Sector Professionals
The Inter‑American Development Bank (IDB) will boost its private‑sector workforce by roughly 35%, adding about 180 positions to its 525‑person IDB Invest team. After the hiring surge, the staff split between Washington and overseas locations will equalise at 50‑50, down from...
Is a Transcontinental Highway the Key to Unlocking Trade in Latin America?
The Inter‑American Development Bank is backing the Bi‑Oceanic Corridor—a 2,300‑mile road and rail link from Brazil to Chile—with a $200 million loan for the critical Paraguay segment. The corridor, slated for completion in late 2026, promises to shave roughly two‑and‑a‑half weeks off...
Who Were IDB's Top Contractors of 2024?
IDB’s active contract funding dropped to $2.4 billion in 2024, a 29% decline from the previous year. Seven thousand contracts were issued, with works projects receiving $1.4 billion, consulting‑firm contracts $204.4 million, and goods contracts $170.9 million. Brazil‑based contractors captured the most funding at...
Africa CDC Eyes Debt Swaps to Plug Health Financing Gaps
Facing steep foreign‑aid cuts and high sovereign debt, Africa CDC is turning to debt‑for‑health swaps to bridge financing gaps. The agency has hired Christoph Benn, a veteran of the Global Fund’s Debt2Health mechanism, to spearhead matchmaking between debtor nations and...