United States, April 2 -- The World Bank Group approved a new operation that will transform forest economies in Central Africa. The International Development Association (IDA)-funded Sustainable Congo Basin Forest Economies Program (SCBFEP) -$394.83 million for Phase 1-, will improve forest management, strengthen forest value chains, and will generate 220,000 jobs across the Republic of Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), and the Republic of Congo (RoC). This first phase forms part of a larger $1.02 billion multi-phase program to unlock economic, climate, and livelihood benefits from the world's second-largest tropical forest biome, demonstrating that sustainable economic development and forest stewardship can, and must, go hand i...