This paper discusses Liberia's Second Review Under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) Arrangement and Request for Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria and Modification of a Performance Criterion. Program performance has weakened relative to the previous review, as well as the former...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Economic activity remained weak in early 2014. Activity was impacted by an outbreak of the Ebola virus since late 2013, but lagging structural reforms, energy shortages, and political uncertainty may also be at play. Economic growth is estimated to have been 2.3 percent in...

All end-June performance criteria and indicative targets under the ECF arrangement were met, and all structural benchmarks were completed, albeit with minor delays. However, there was a nonobservance of the continuous performance criterion on the ceiling on new nonconcessional external debt in...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A transition government has been put in place to lead the country to elections in October 2015 and wishes to continue the existing ECF arrangement. The authorities feel the program provides continuity for the transition, and helps safeguard macroeconomic stability, while...

This paper discusses Sierra Leone's Second Review Under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement and Financing Assurances Review. Economic output is set to contract by some 13 percent in 2015, comprising a decline in non-iron-ore activity of some 2 percent, and a 47 percent slump in iron-ore...

KEY ISSUES The Ebola outbreak has inflicted a heavy toll on Guinea's economy notwithstanding the supportive macroeconomic policies the authorities put in place. Fiscal policy has expanded to reflect revenue shortfalls and higher Ebola-related spending, resulting in a markedly higher budget...