Sociological implications arising from World Bank projects and their impact on sub-Saharan indigenous peoples

Abstract

The World Bank has in place a set of guidelines for assessing the impact of Bank-funded projects on indigenous peoples and requires investors to produce detailed reports and ensure for the provision of adequate compensation. The tendency is to preserve sub-Saharan indigenous social structures without inquiring whether a particular indigenous group finds itself oppressed within such structures and wants to escape from them. The Bank's compensation policy should strive to remedy social imbalances if that is the wish of indigenous societies.