The latest World Bank review of policies and institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) shows an improved policy environment for growth and poverty reduction in 13 of the continent's poorest countries.

The countries comprise:

Comoros, Congo Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Togo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. More broadly, most African countries show a stable or improved policy environment for development. This positive trend is especially important given the more severe economic climate being weathered by other countries, most notably in the developed world.

The review is part of the annual World Bank Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) that rates the performance of poor countries and, since 1980, has been used to determine their allocation of zero-interest financing under the International Development Association,* the World Bank Group's fund for the world's poorest countries.

The CPIA examines 16 key development indicators covering four areas:

(i) economic management, (ii) structural reforms; (iii) policies for social inclusion and equity; and (iv) public sector management and institutions. Countries are rated on a scale of 1 (low) to 6 (high) for each indicator. The overall CPIA score reflects the average of the 16 indicators.