Côte d’Ivoire is preparing for presidential elections in October 2015 amid strong macroeconomic performance. All continuous and end-December quantitative performance criteria (PCs) and all but one indicative targets were met. All structural benchmarks were implemented, albeit with a minor...

In spite of the implementation of measures to strengthen public financial management during the last quarter of 2014, the performance criteria (PC) for end-2014 relating to gross tax revenue and bank and market financing of the government were not met owing to administrative weaknesses at the...

Zambia achieved strong growth and macroeconomic stability over most of the last decade. However, in the last two years, the Zambian economy has been facing strong headwinds from large fiscal imbalances, lower copper prices, and policy uncertainties. The current account has deteriorated,...

KEY ISSUES Backed by sound policies, economic performance since the 2013 Article IV Consultation has been positive. In response to fiscal stimuli and credit recovery, growth is picking up from the low levels that followed the credit-boom-and-bust-cycle. Careful central bank policies kept...

KEY ISSUES Tanzania’s macroeconomic performance remains strong. Real GDP grew by about 7 percent in 2014 and inflation is now slightly below the authorities’ 5 percent target. Growth is projected to remain strong and inflation moderate. Program performance since the last review has been...

A decade–long hydrocarbon boom has led to a fast rise of average incomes and spurred a large scaling up of investment spending on infrastructure, although progress on social indicators has been slow. With hydrocarbon extraction shifting into a trend decline in the context of weak oil prices...

All but one performance criteria were met at end-April 2015 and structural benchmarks were largely completed, some with delays. However, there was non-observance of the continuous performance criterion on the ceiling on gross credit to government by Bank of Ghana (BoG) in April by a small margin...

This 2015 Article IV Consultation highlights that Congo's growth was strong in 2014 and inflation was moderated, but the country has been hit hard by the oil price shock. Growth rose to 6.8 percent in 2014, driven by a rebound in oil production. The fiscal deficit amounted to 8.5 percent of GDP...

The Executive Board approved on February 2, 2015 a 12-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and an arrangement under the Standby Credit Facility (SCF), with combined access of SDR 488.52 million (180 percent of quota). The first tranche of SDR 379.96 million (140 percent of quota) was made available...

This paper discusses Liberia’s Request for an Extension of the Arrangement Under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF). From mid-2014 to mid-2015, Liberia faced a serious Ebola virus disease crisis, which triggered the declaration of a state of emergency. End-June 2014 performance criteria (PCs)...