South Africa’s 2005 Article IV Consultation reports that the short-term outlook is broadly favorable, with the main risks arising from a possible worsening of the external environment. The authorities plan to maintain a flexible exchange rate, and to intervene in the foreign exchange...

This paper focuses on Ukraine’s 2005 Article IV Consultation and Ex Post Assessment of Longer-Term Program Engagement. After four years of strong activity, annual growth has slowed sharply, from a peak of about 12 percent in 2004 to 3 percent for January–September 2005. Fiscal...

This report examines Sudan’s Final Review of the Staff-Monitored Program (SMP) for 2003 and 2004. Policy performance was in line with the program. All quantitative targets, except for that on contracting nonconcessional external debt, were met, and most structural benchmarks were...

This paper focuses on Uganda’s Fifth Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF), Request for Waiver of Performance Criterion, and Extension of Arrangement. Performance relative to the program performance criteria and benchmarks has...

This 2004 Article IV Consultation highlights that Namibia’s real GDP growth accelerated to an estimated 4¼ percent in 2004, after averaging about 3 percent during the preceding five years. Growth benefited from declining interest rates, as the Bank of Namibia took advantage of...

Iraq’s 2005 Article IV Consultation reports that there has been a marked deterioration in Iraq’s human development indicators over the last twenty years. There is relatively little firm data on the balance of payments other than on oil exports, government imports of goods and...

Macedonia showed an economic recovery owing to its macroeconomic policies. Executive Directors appreciated the sound fiscal policies and efforts in bringing inflation under control and increasing international reserves. They stressed the need to reduce unemployment and keep the account deficit...

Burundi is emerging from more than a decade of civil conflict that started with the 1993 coup d’état against its first elected government. Macroeconomic developments in 2005 were broadly in line with the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) program, although growth was lower at about...

This 2005 Article IV Consultation highlights that Palau’s economic growth has picked up in recent years while inflation has been low. After several years of slow growth, real GDP grew by 5 percent in FY2004 and FY2005, driven by a steady increase in visitor arrivals with the start of new...

The major risk factors faced by the Isle of Man (IOM), which have been given prominence by the global financial crisis, relate to large exposures toward parent banks. The recent global financial markets turmoil has had a significant impact on the Manx financial system. The paper also presents a...