This 2006 Article IV Consultation highlights that economic performance of Benin has been relatively subdued since 2003 after a decade of high growth. Slow economic growth has reflected limited progress in addressing core economic vulnerabilities and delays in implementing crucial...

Despite abundant natural resources and arable land, Guinea-Bissau is ranked at the lowest end of the UN human development index, mainly because of the civil war of 1998–99 and the ensuing prolonged political instability and serious governance deficiencies thereafter. Since mid-2004,...

This paper discusses Sierra Leone’s Request for a Three-Year Arrangement under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Sierra Leone has made considerable progress during the last PRGF-supported program toward macroeconomic stability. Macroeconomic performance was generally...

This paper discusses Nicaragua’s 2005 Article IV Consultation and Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Reviews Under the Three Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). The economy continued to perform well, notwithstanding pressure from higher oil prices. Strong...

This paper discusses the Union of Comoros’ 2008 Article IV Consultation and request for Emergency Post-Conflict Assistance and disbursement under the Rapid-Access Component of the Exogenous Shocks Facility. Real GDP growth has been well below the regional average, and per-capita income...

Cape Verde has demonstrated notable economic and policy resilience. The public investment program should be completed, but new external borrowing should be limited to restore fiscal buffers. The monetary policy framework could be improved in the medium term. The Bank of Cape Verde should step up...

Burkina Faso’s request for a Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility is discussed. The proposed new Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program would help anchor macroeconomic stability and support Burkina Faso’s poverty reduction and growth...

This paper discusses an assessment of Comoros’s performance Under the Program Supported by the Emergency Post-Conflict Assistance (EPCA). Overall performance under the EPCA-supported program has been broadly satisfactory. Nearly all EPCA performance indicators for end-March 2009 were...

This paper reviews Congo’s Performance Under the Staff-Monitored Program (SMP) and Request for a Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility. Improvements in the political environment and an increased focus on economic management since late 2002 have already led...

This paper discusses key findings of the Second Review Under the Staff Monitored Program (SMP) for Mauritania. Mauritania’s performance since the beginning of 2006 has been fully satisfactory. All quantitative targets and structural benchmarks under the SMP that covered the first six...