World Bank to offer free online course on good governance

By on 23/08/2016 | Updated on 24/09/2020

The World Bank has teamed up with a number of research institutes to offer a free online course on the governance of natural resources.

Starting in September, the course will help participants draft policies, frameworks, and oversight models to manage oil, gas, and mining investments.

Without these, the course website says, “the same investments have the potential to destabilise public financial management systems, bring negative environmental and social impacts, and increase the risk of corruption.”

Titled ‘Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: The Fundamentals of Oil, Gas, and Mining Governance’, the course is jointly run by the Natural Resource Governance Institute, the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network and the World Bank.

It outlines the various “complex and interrelated aspects of natural resource governance, including: understanding the governance and industry fundamentals; developing and implementing robust and transparent legal frameworks; designing fiscal regimes to capture a fair share of the revenues; managing environmental risks; engaging with communities; leveraging investments for infrastructure and business linkages; and managing revenues for economic diversification and development.”

The course is structured around a series of pre-recorded lectures, readings, quizzes, and discussion forums.

In addition, instructors and selected visiting experts will hold several real-time discussions on Google Hangouts so that students can ask questions and engage directly with the instructors and leading practitioners working in the field.

Each course component can be completed at a time that is convenient for the students, and most quizzes and timed activities are given a two-week window for completion.

The material for each week is made available each Monday, and once the material has been opened, it remains open for the duration of the course.

There are no written assignments for this course.

The estimated time commitment to complete all course components is between four and six hours per week.

Participants must score an average of 70% or higher on the quizzes and final exam in order to successfully complete the course. Those who do will receive a digital certificate of completion, signed by the course organisers.

If students achieve a score of 85% or higher they will receive certificates of completion with distinction.

For additional questions on the course structure or requirements, email the SDSN Education Initiatives Team at [email protected], and for technical questions about the platform, email [email protected].

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See also:

Demand for World Bank loans rises to record levels

World Bank appoints first female country director in Philippines

World Bank approves $35m for access to public services project in India

About Winnie Agbonlahor

Winnie is news editor of Global Government Forum. She previously reported for Civil Service World - the trade magazine for senior UK government officials. Originally from Germany, Winnie first came to the UK in 2006 to study a BA in Journalism & Russian at the University of Sheffield. She is bilingual in English and German, and, after spending an academic year abroad in Russia and reporting for the Moscow Times, Winnie also speaks Russian fluently.

4 Comments

  1. Lerotholi Mpaki says:

    Is the course still in progress?

  2. Sofia Cassimo says:

    Good morning Sir/MAdam is this course still open?
    Regards

  3. M S Khan says:

    I’m interested in governance course

  4. Rose Mashigo says:

    I am interested in this course; it will be an opportunity I have been waiting for if I get the chance to do this course.

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