Finance & Economics | WPN World People News

Under a new roof: residents of various places on the south coast got a chance to renovate their houses while preserving local construction traditions. Here, Lluka Nikollori, who used the grant to turn his renovated home into a small bed and breakfast.

Better fiscal management and an improved integrated water resource management framework are the objectives of the US$ 280 million Strengthening Fiscal and Water Resources Management loan to the state of Rio Grande do Sul, approved by the World Bank Board of Directors. As part of the program, the Bank will support an innovative approach that brings together fiscal and water resources management.

The European Commission adopted a proposal for a new programme that will help Member States to modernise their administrations and provide interoperable digital services at national and European level. The new programme, ISA2,will build on the success of its predecessor, ISA (Interoperability Solutions for European Public Administrations), by ensuring seamless electronic cross-border or cross-sector interaction between European public administrations.

Debt managers and central bankers from 44 countries and representatives from the Paris Club, as well as the private sector joined the Fourteenth International Monetary Fund Public Debt Management Forum in Paris, France. The event was co-organized with the Agence France Trésor.

Malaysia's economy is expected to grow by 5.4% in 2014 and 4.6% in 2015, according to a new World Bank report. Exports rose in the previous two quarters and lifted Malaysia’s economic growth. The Malaysia Economic Monitor, launched, notes that trade is critical to Malaysia’s transformation into a high income economy.

The latest World Bank review of government policies and institutions in Africa shows that 20 percent of countries improved their policy environment to boost growth and cut poverty in 2013.

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission led by S. Kal Wajid visited Addis Ababa June 11-25 to conduct discussions for the 2014 Article IV Consultation with Ethiopia.

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved a US$50 million IDA* grant on June 24, 2014 to help the Government of Mozambique (GoM) improve the transparency and efficiency of spending on medicine distribution, storage, and availability as well as management of school councils, districts, and budget.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the sixth and final review of the Kyrgyz Republic’s economic performance under the program supported by a three-year, SDR 66.6 million (about US$106 million at the time of approval) arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF).