World Bank Online Morning Seminar #94 “A Deep Dive into Governance and Institutions”

MULTIMEDIA

• The Governance Global Practice supports client countries to build capable, efficient, open, inclusive, and accountable institutions. This is critical for returning to sustainable growth after COVID-19 and is at the heart of the World Bank's twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. The ability of governments to effectively provide public goods, to support an environment that can generate jobs and growth, to address market failures and to engage citizens in the process is more important than ever. Countries with strong institutions are more resilient, are better able to facilitate private sector growth, reduce poverty, deliver valuable services, and earn the confidence of citizens.

  The World Bank GovTech approach represents the current frontier of government digital transformation. It is a whole-of-government approach to public sector modernization and promotes simple, efficient and transparent government with the citizen at the center of reforms. The World Bank established the GovTech Global Partnership (GTGP), a multi-stakeholder initiative to help provide leadership and direction on the rapid advance of technology which poses both a challenge and an opportunity. Technology can be harnessed for better service delivery, for greater transparency, for improved detection of conflicts of interest, corrupt transactions and systemic risks, and for better citizen engagement. Unfortunately, it can also be used for nefarious purposes, including for corruption.

  At this online seminar, Edward Olowo-Okere, Director of Governance Global Practice discussed what the World Bank Governance Global Practice does in supporting client countries in governance and institutions sector.

  Date/Time:

  8am-9am, Friday March 5, 2021 (Japan Standard Time)

  Speaker

  Edward Olowo-Okere
  Director of Governance Global Practice, World Bank

  Ed Olowo-Okere, a Nigerian national with three decades of experience working on governance issues around the world, leads the World Bank's Public Sector and Financial Management team in the Governance Global Practice. This group is focused on helping countries build capable, effective, accountable, transparent, and inclusive institutions that deliver citizen-centric services, facilitate private-sector growth, and build trust in Government. The group provides expertise on governance issues, ranging from public financial management, domestic resource mobilization, state-owned enterprises reform/ corporate governance, public institutions reform, decentralization/subnational governance to anti-corruption policies, fiduciary assurance, political economy analysis and GovTech (i.e. leveraging technology to modernize the public sector and improve service delivery to citizens and business, and increase efficiency, transparency and accountability).

  Mr. Olowo-Okere joined the World Bank in 1998 and has held various positions in operations, including Director of Governance overseeing Africa, MENA and ECA regions, Senior Advisor in the Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions practice group, and Director of the Core Operational Services Department in the Africa region. Before joining the Bank, Ed held public- and private-sector positions in Nigeria, Britain, and New Zealand.

  Ed holds a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honors) Degree in Accountancy from the University of Maiduguri and a Masters' Degree in Accounting, with Distinctions, from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He has a Ph.D. in Management with a specialization in Change Management and Public Financial Management from the University of Bath, United Kingdom. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). He has researched and published in reputable international journals and lectured at undergraduate and graduate levels in Nigeria and New Zealand on accounting and finance.

  Presentation material: A Deep Dive into Governance and Institutions (PDF)

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  World Bank Group Morning Seminar