47% fewer fatalities—just by using a simple surgical checklist. In this second episode of the World Development Report 2025: Standards for Development (WDR25) mini series, we explore how standards can make—or break—firms and the delivery of essential services. Drawing on Chapters 4 and 5 of the WDR25 report, we examine how the rise of technical regulations—now covering nearly 90% of global trade—has reshaped opportunities for firms while creating costly barriers.

The episode also shows how the same standards shape health and education outcomes—from checklists that reduce fatalities to adaptive teaching models that double learning gains. We highlight how countries can lower compliance costs through domestic quality infrastructure and alignment, while adopting phased, process-oriented standards to expand access and improve service delivery. Generated with AI using wondercraft.ai and guided by our experts.

Read more at https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/wdr2025

Africa imports $70–80 billion of food each year—even for products it could often produce competitively. This episode revisits dialogues held at AGORA 2025 to explore why. We examine a key shift: viewing agriculture not as a sector, but as a system shaped by markets, infrastructure, technology, finance, institutions and people. The discussion highlights the “hidden middle”—where much of the value addition and job creation actually happens—and why weak market linkages continue to limit impact. We also unpack persistent barriers, from financing gaps and climate risks to policy uncertainty, and what it takes to build more connected, functioning and resilient agrifood systems.

Generated with AI using wondercraft.ai and guided by our experts.

Read more at https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/7f05de3a99602388dce224151870a1b1-0050012026/original/AGORA-Takeaways-of-Agribusiness-Session.pdf