INTRODUCTION
The Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) module is a diagnostic tool formed by the World Bank to capture the quality of a country’s policies and institutional arrangements; to focus on the most important factors that are within a country’s control, rather than on outcomes that are influenced by elements outside the country’s bound of control. The CPIA more succinctly measures the extent which a country’s policy and institutional framework supports poverty reduction, sustainable growth and the effective use of development assistance.
The current Chief Economist of the World Bank for the African division, Albert Zeufack also made an emphatic statement about the CPIA not only important because of the better scores that lead to concessional financing by the World Bank to low income countries but also because it is an excellent tool for policy formulation and monitoring. This tool is the result of a largely consultative process with staff and other experts of the Bank and not necessarily reflective of the Board of Executive Directors views.
