WB official: Enhancing private sector, human element pillars of sustainable development

CAIRO - 19 November 2018: Head of the World Bank's Egypt and Yemen energy program Ashish Khanna said Monday that the process of sustainable development in the Arab region and the world at large is based on three pillars namely; development of human resources, enhancing the role of private sector and providing the necessary funding for upgrading the information technology sector and digital economy.

Addressing the inaugural session of the Arab Week on Sustainable Development in its second edition on behalf of Head of the World Bank Group for Middle East and North Africa Affairs Farid Belhaj, Khanna said every country in the region has its priorities and special challenges.

He made it clear that Arab countries need to provide 300 million job opportunities for youths in the coming years, a matter which requires enhancement of the private sector to be able to grow faster, adding that achieving this would not be possible without securing a digital infrastructure and relevant laws.

The WB official also asserted that the World Bank would continue supporting sustainable development projects in all Arab countries, adding that the World Bank is keen on extending all financial and technical support needed to the Arab reform programs.