EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Context. The coalition government that came into office on December 12, 2012, remains fully committed to the pursuit of sound policies that are helping to consolidate macroeconomic stability, despite a challenging external environment and more uncertain oil prospects. Program...

Executive Summary The first NPRS was drafted in 2002 and the authorities promised to reduce the percentage of the Saotomean population living in poverty (53.8 percent) by half in 2010 and by two-thirds in 2015, and to decrease the percentage of the population living in extreme poverty from 15.1...

This Joint Staff Advisory Note discusses the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe. The PRSP-II is the successor to the government's previous development strategy, the PRSP-I, and furthers the country's commitment to promoting sustainable...

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Context. The emergence of large fiscal and external imbalances in recent years, which led to a slowdown in growth, is putting Ghana's medium-term prospects at risk. The Government's efforts to achieve fiscal consolidation since mid-2013 have been undermined by policy slippages,...

This paper discusses Burkina Faso's Third Review Under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) Arrangement. Policies and reform implementation under the ECF-supported program have been satisfactory. All end-June 2019 quantitative performance criteria and indicative targets were met as well as all,...

This paper discusses Sierra Leone's Third and Fourth Reviews Under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement and Financing Assurances Review, Requests for Waivers for Nonobservance of Performance Criteria (PC) and Modification of PC. Program implementation has been good, notwithstanding the...

This paper discusses Madagascar's Staff-Monitored Program (SMP) and Request for Disbursement under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF). Madagascar's economic recovery has failed to gain momentum in 2015, largely due to external shocks, persistent political instability, and weak governance....

This 2015 Article IV Consultation highlights that Mali's program performance through June was strong, with all performance criteria and most structural benchmarks met. The 2016 program features a somewhat higher fiscal deficit compared with 2015 to allow for increased public investment and...

This paper discusses Cote d'Ivoire's Eighth Review Under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) Arrangement. The macroeconomic outlook remains strong with high projected growth rates supported by sustained improvements in the business climate and rising private investment, including in large...

This paper discusses Niger's Sixth and Seventh Reviews Under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement, Request for Waivers of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria (PC), Request for Augmentation of Access, and Extension of the Current Arrangement. Niger's growth slowed in 2015 owing to lower...