IMF Executive Board Concludes Financial Sector Stability Assessment with China
On November 10, 2017, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) discussed the IMF’s latest Financial System Stability Assessment (FSSA) of the People’s Republic of China.
Zombie firms and weak productivity: what role for policy?
IMF Executive Board Completes Second Review Under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement for Madagascar and Approves US$44.5 Million Disbursement
On December 6, 2017, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the second review of Madagascar’s program supported by the Extended Credit Facility (ECF). The decision was taken without a Board meeting [1] and enables the...
Zambia: Improving Debt Management for Economic Recovery
Zambia's economy is continuing to recover, but its economic growth rate is expected to improve only modestly this year—to 3.8% in 2017 from 3.6% in 2016—according to an Economic Brief released by the World Bank on December 7. The brief says that,...
Kenya’s GDP Growth Slumps in 2017, but can Rebound over the Medium-Term
Economic activity in Kenya is likely to have declined to its weakest level in five years, says the World Bank’s Kenya Economic Update released in Nairobi, on December 6. GDP growth is estimated to drop to 4.9% in 2017, a 0.6 percentage point dip from...
Belarus: Increasing Productivity for Reviving Economic Growth and Incomes
The modest cyclical expansion of economic activity in 2017 has ended a two-year recession, but economic growth is expected to remain weak, says the World Bank Economic Update on Belarus.
Ending Child Marriage Could Generate $3 Billion in Annual Benefits for Uganda’s Population by 2030
Ending child marriage today could generate $3 billion per year for Uganda by 2030, says a new report published by the World Bank, on December 5. In contrast, the perpetuation of child marriage would lead to lower educational attainment for girls and...
PNG taking steps to reinforce economic resilience
A rebounding agricultural sector and improving efficiency in liquefied natural gas (LNG) production are recent highlights of the PNG economy, according to new report released by the World Bank on December 5. Nonetheless, growth slowed in 2017 owing to...
Wild fisheries landings decline while aquaculture surges
Landings of wild-caught fish in OECD countries are 40% below their late 1980s peak and continue to decline, while aquaculture production has been increasing at an annual rate of 2.1% since 2011, according to a new OECD report.
IMF Executive Board Completes First Review Under the ECF and Approves US$22.58 Million Disbursement for Benin
On December 1st, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the first review of the arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) for Benin. Completion of the review enables the disbursement of SDR15.917 million (...
