Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Sameh Wahba

Author

Sameh Wahba
Regional Director, Sustainable Development, Europe and Central Asia, The World Bank

Sameh Wahba is the Regional Director for Sustainable Development at the World Bank’s Europe and Central Asia region. In this capacity, he oversees all World Bank lending, technical assistance, partnerships, and policy advisory work in sustainable development the region, including agriculture and food, climate change, environment, natural resources and the blue economy, social inclusion and sustainability, water, urban, disaster risk management, resilience, and land. He oversees a portfolio of $10bn in lending commitments and a team of 200 professionals based in DC and 23 regional offices. Previously, he worked as Global Director for Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land Global Practice. He holds a Ph.D. in urban planning from Harvard University and has 25 years’ experience in urban development, land, housing, disaster risk management, infrastructure, and sustainable development. His publications on cities, housing, land, infrastructure, and finance include books, chapters in edited volumes and articles in peer-reviewed journals. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Cities Council and is part of the advisory boards for Resilient Cities Network, the WRI Ross Center for Cities, Cities Alliance, and the Penn Institute for Urban Research.

Content by this Author

Investing in climate action and the SDGs for a resilient future

The interlinked crises of climate change, lingering effects of Covid-19 and the ensuing food and energy crises need to be tackled together – and as this column explains, this is best done within the broader context of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and in a framework of effective partnerships.

Book Launch – Live Webinar: Business, Government and the SDGs: The Role of Public-Private Engagement in Building a Sustainable Future

Most read

Beyond job creation: how can Egypt’s gender gap in work be closed?

More than 2 million jobs are needed each year to absorb new entrants into Egypt’s labour market and raise the country’s employment rate. The job challenge is even more acute for women, whose labour force participation remains low despite recent gains in education. This column reports on the second Development Dialogue, an ERF–World Bank Group joint initiative, which brought together students, scholars, policy-makers and private sector leaders at the American University in Cairo to consider how the country’s gender gap in work can be closed.

Digitalisation, global value chains and regional integration in MENA & SSA

Participation in global value chains is vital for countries pursuing structural transformation and inclusive economic development. This column summarises new evidence on how much production processes have been globalised in Africa and the Middle East relative to other regions; whether this process has taken place with partners within or outside the region; and whether it has taken place more in manufacturing or services.

The political economy of algorithms in the Middle East

The Middle East is entering a new political-economic era – one in which algorithms, data and artificial intelligence may become as strategically important as oil once was. Across the region, governments are investing heavily in digital infrastructure, smart governance and AI-driven economic transformation. This column outlines how AI and algorithmic governance are reshaping power, inequality and state capacity in the region.

How trade policy can reduce MENA’s cereal import vulnerability

Heavy dependence on imported cereals, combined with climate change, water scarcity and geopolitical uncertainty, continues to threaten food resilience across MENA. This column explains how an inclusive trade policy can play a key role in making the region’s food security less vulnerable to shocks.




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