This paper examines the Annual Progress Report (APR) on Rwanda’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). The 2004 APR is an important progress marker in Rwanda’s long-term vision to reduce the proportion of Rwandans living below the poverty line from 60 percent to 25 percent and...

This paper examines the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s 2003 Article IV Consultation, First Review Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF), and Request for Waiver of Performance Criteria. Through September 2002, overall performance under the PRGF-supported program was...

The Kingdom of Lesotho’s 2005 Article IV Consultation reports that the government’s fiscal position and the external current account have improved markedly. The authorities are preparing an action plan, in collaboration with development partners, to improve the business climate....

Madagascar showed strong economic growth and low inflation under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) Arrangement. Executive Directors commended these developments, and stressed the need to restore fiscal discipline, improve governance, strengthen the business climate to encourage...

This Selected Issues paper examines prospects for increasing growth and reducing poverty in the Solomon Islands. The paper highlights that agriculture constitutes the largest sector of the Solomon Islands economy, averaging about 20 percent of GDP throughout the 1990s. The Solomon Islands also...

This 2005 Article IV Consultation highlights that macroeconomic developments in Madagascar in 2003 and 2004 were dominated by the sharp depreciation of the national currency, and rising inflation pressures, with year-over-year consumer price inflation reaching 30 percent at end-February 2005. At...

This paper reviews Niger’s Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS) Paper Progress Report. After more than two years of implementation, the PRS has truly become established as the overall framework for the various sectoral strategies in existence or being devised. Moreover, it has been used to...

The statistical data on gross domestic product, cocoa bean production, payments to farmers, and export receipts, operations of the cocoa board, production, acreage, and yield of principal food crops, domestic fish catch and imports, mineral production, generation and consumption of electricity...

All quantitative and structural performance criteria for end-June 2003 were observed. These positive results reflect several factors, including improved public expenditure management and strengthened revenue administration (offsetting delays in some of this year's new revenue measures),...

Since the conclusion of the last Article IV Consultation in October 2001, Georgia's macroeconomic performance has been encouraging. The 2003 Article IV Consultation and program discussions were held against the backdrop of protracted deviations from the IMF-supported program. Discussions with...