The attached Joint Staff Advisory Note (JSAN) on the Implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for Guinea, prepared jointly by the staffs of the World Bank and the IMF, was distributed with the member country’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) to the Executive Boards...

This paper discusses key findings of the First Annual Report (2008/09) on the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS). The economic and security situation was particularly challenging during the first year of ANDS implementation (1387 or 2008/09) owing to rapid increases in food and...

This paper reviews the 2004 Semiannual IMF Staff Report Under Intensified Surveillance for Nigeria. Overall economic performance in the first half of 2004 was commendable. The implementation of sound macroeconomic policies, underpinned by a conservative reference oil price and savings of the oil...

This paper analyzes progress on the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper—Country Development Strategy (PRSP–CDS) in the Kyrgyz Republic for 2007–10. The CDS is the most important concept paper that outlines midterm vision of the Kyrgyz Republic. The paper also discusses that...

This Selected Issues paper reviews the extent to which growth in Ethiopia has translated into higher living standards. A key feature of the economic strategy has been an explicit commitment to poverty reduction and structural transformation. This is underpinned by the vision of a...

This paper discusses Romania’s Request for a Stand-By Arrangement (SBA). Since the 2008 global financial crisis, Romania has made significant progress in reducing macroeconomic imbalances and rebuilding fiscal and financial buffers. However, Romania remains vulnerable to external shocks,...

KEY ISSUES The jobs and growth agenda should remain a top policy priority, with efforts focused on relaxing key constraints for domestic firms. Priorities include properly implementing and monitoring recent initiatives to enforce payment discipline in both public and private sector contracts, as...

The economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is strongly connected to Europe through trade and financial channels, continues to pay a high price for the tough conditions in the area. The paper discuss that, following low demand in its trading partners, exports slumped in 2012 by 7.5 percent,...