In Malawi, Expanded Electricity Access is Improving Livelihood and Creating Business Opportunities © 2026 The World Bank Group,

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2026/05/13/in-malawi-expanded-electricity-access-is-improving-livelihood-and-creating-business-opportunities At one time, the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi came and assessed my house. They brought the poles, I was excited, but after a few weeks, the poles were taken away. I was left with despair. Bertha Macheso Primary school teacher, Chiradzulu District © 2026 The World Bank Group,

2026 FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT FORUM - UNITED NATIONS ECOSOC © 2026 The World Bank Group,

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/speech/2026/04/21/2026-financing-for-development-forum-united-nations-ecosochttps://www.worldbank.org/en/news/speech/2026/04/21/2026-financing-for-development-forum-united-nations-ecosoc © 2026 The World Bank Group,

Beyond the 3 Percent Fiscal Deficit Rule: What India’s States Reveal About Fiscal Discipline Vincent BelingaRangeet GhoshTanvir Malik May 11, 2026 This page in: English © 2026 The World Bank Group,

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/endpovertyinsouthasia/beyond-the-3-percent-fiscal-deficit-rule--what-india-s-states-re India’s states began adopting Fiscal Responsibility Laws (FRLs) in the mid 2000s to rein in deficits, put debt on a sustainable path, and restore fiscal credibility after years of rising imbalances. Numerical rules, especially the 3 percent of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) fiscal deficit ceiling became the North Star of India’s subnational fiscal framework. While economic growth was strong and broad-based, numerical fiscal rules delivered on their objective. By the early 2010s, India’s subnational finances looked markedly more disciplined than they had just a decade earlier. Yet almost 20 years later, some states still carry high, and in some cases rising, debt levels (Figure 1) despite operating under the same fiscal rules. © 2026 The World Bank Group,

Skills for jobs in Sub-Saharan Africa: An urgent, pressing agenda Omar AriasDavid EvansIndhira Santos May 11, 2026 This page in: English Français Swahili © 2026 The World Bank Group,

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/africacan/skills-for-jobs-in-sub-saharan-africa-an-urgent-pressing-agenda More than one in five youth across Africa are neither in education nor working. Medium and large firms continue to point to an inadequately skilled workforce as a constraint to productivity. Only a small fraction of children are able to read and understand a simple sentence by age ten, a building block and indicator of children’s skills trajectory. In the face of these skills challenges, back in 2019, we published The Skills Balancing Act in Sub-Saharan Africa: Investing in Skills for Productivity, Inclusivity, and Adaptability. We highlighted two balancing acts that policy makers have to reckon with when investing in skills. First, the tension between skills for economywide productivity gains and skills for inclusion of the most vulnerable. Second, countries must balance between investing in foundational skills (both cognitive and socio-emotional) and technical or job-specific skills. © 2026 The World Bank Group,

From words to water: Building the next generation of water professionals Federico Perez PenalosaZael Sanz UriarteNikola StevanovićAlmasa Muminović May 11, 2026 This page in: English © 2026 The World Bank Group,

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/water/from-words-to-water--building-the-next-generation-of-water-profe In 2024, we sounded the alarm: the water and sanitation sector was losing the talent race. An aging workforce, invisible career paths, and a sector too often seen as stuck in the past were driving young professionals away — or keeping them from entering at all. We named the problem. We outlined the solutions. And we made a promise: to walk the talk. © 2026 The World Bank Group,

Listening to Somali Businesses: 2 Years of Data and Dialogue Tell Us What is Needed for Jobs and Growth Asta BareisaiteSilvia MuziSameer Goyal May 11, 2026 This page in: English © 2026 The World Bank Group,

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/africacan/listening-to-somali-businesses-2-years-of-data-and-dialogue-tell-us-what-is-needed-for-jobs-and-growth When we speak with business owners across Somalia, we often hear a familiar mix of determination and frustration. Entrepreneurs are adapting, finding customers, and keeping their businesses afloat but they feel stuck. They are working hard, but struggling to grow, invest, and create new jobs. © 2026 The World Bank Group,

From ambition to price: How much are firms really willing to pay for clean hydrogen? Jevgenijs SteinbuksSvetlana Ikonnikova May 12, 2026 This page in: English © 2026 The World Bank Group,

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/developmenttalk/from-ambition-to-price--how-much-are-firms-really-willing-to-pay Clean hydrogen is attracting growing attention as a way to decarbonize industry. Many emerging markets appear to have favorable conditions for producing it cheaply, especially where renewable resources are strong and imported fossil fuels or fertilizers are costly. Several governments are increasingly framing green hydrogen and ammonia as part of their energy security and food security strategies. But one basic question still sits at the center of the policy debate: when will firms actually find it worth buying? © 2026 The World Bank Group,