Zoellick told African leaders that the bank will continue its strong support to Africa, which is supporting various development activities across various countries in the continent.

"Commitments to Africa will be increased by at least $15 billion over the next two to three years," said Zoellick. "I have always believed that the African Union will be a cornerstone of Africa's development. It draws us together to recognize Africa's interdependence, its gains from integration : whether for energy, transport, water, trade, movement, security, and of course ICT".

He said that last year, the World Bank invested $3.6 billion in infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa.

"These projects create jobs today while improving growth prospects for tomorrow," said Zoellick.

The president also indicated that the World Bank Group global lending for agriculture increased from an annual average of $4.1 billion in 2006-08 to $7.2 billion last year.

"Sub-regional integration is also a driver of economic opportunity in Africa. Regional economic groups in Africa are expanding their roles in areas as diverse as security and trade liberalization. The EADC, ECOWAS, SADC, EAC, WAEMU, and COMESA are solid pillars on which stronger African economic integration can be built," said Zoellick.

He also indicated that a new Global Food Crisis Response Program (GFRP) has been established, which has already approved $710 million for 21 African countries following the financial global crisis. "The biggest share of Bank and IDA lending in agriculture was targeted at Africa, reaching $1.7 billion last year. For example, in Nigeria the World Bank is expanding its Fadama project to include 19 more states. It has already boosted the incomes of 2.3 million farm families in 12 states by an average of 60%," added Zoellick.

-APA