Founded in 1944, the World Bank Group consists of five closely associated institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD); International Development Association (IDA), International Finance Corporation (IFC); Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); and the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

The World Bank is the world's largest source of development assistance, providing nearly $30 billion in loans annually to its client countries. The Bank uses its financial resources, its highly trained staff, and its extensive knowledge base to individually help each developing country onto a path of stable, sustainable, and equitable growth. The main focus is on helping the poorest people and the poorest countries, but for all its clients the Bank emphasizes the need for:

• Investing in people, particularly through basic health and education
• Protecting the environment
• Supporting and encouraging private business development
• Strengthening the ability of the governments to deliver quality services, efficiently and transparently
• Promoting reforms to create a stable macroeconomic environment, conducive to investment and long-term planning
• Focusing on social development, inclusion, governance, and institution-building as key elements of poverty reduction

The Bank is also helping countries to strengthen and sustain the fundamental conditions they need to attract and retain private investment.

World Bank Group participation in the project

Given the project's potential for improving Chad's development prospects and for generating much-needed revenues for Cameroon, the IBRD is considering providing loans of about US$55 million to Chad and US$85 million to Cameroon to finance their respective investments in the pipeline companies.

If approved by the Board of Directors, the funds would be used to finance the civil works contract for the laying of the pipeline and interest during construction. IDA is also currently appraising separate projects that will make loans available to both governments to strengthen their environmental management capacity and improve revenue management in Chad. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the Group, is considering providing loans ($100 million from its own resources and syndicating an additional $150-$300 million) to the pipeline companies

• Ensure greater public consultation and local participation
• Enhance attention to environmental issues
• Proper handling of socio-economic issues.
• Political risk mitigation
• Oil revenue management
• Private sector development

What questions are left opened

• What are the links between World Bank and IMF actions?
• What are the voting powers of member countries ?
• Is World Bank influenced by NGOs, human rights and environmental groups ?
• How does it enforces decisions during project development ?
• What are the relative weights in decisions between environmental protection and poverty reduction ?