Afghanistan’s development, humanitarian, and governance challenges are formidable. Afghanistan is in its transition to become self-reliant. To achieve this goal, the government requires donor support. The IMF-supported economic program tries to address key macroeconomic challenges and...

The drop in demand and commodity prices in Liberia is adversely affecting investment and exports in some key sectors. The staff report examines Liberia’s second review under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility and request for Waiver and Modification of Performance Criteria. The...

Political pressure for faster delivery of tangible economic results has mounted against a backdrop of slower-than-expected economic growth, job losses in some sectors, and delays in infrastructure provision. Macroeconomic performance weakened in 2009 owing to the global recession, but tentative...

This 2008 Article IV Consultation highlights that Sierra Leone’s macroeconomic performance in 2008 was mixed. Output growth reached 6.4 percent in 2007, led by solid agricultural and mining production and buoyant activity in the construction and services sectors. The external current...

This paper reports on Bangladesh’s Financial System Stability Assessment. Considerable progress has been made in strengthening the resilience of the country's financial sector. Total assets of the banking sector have increased twofold since 2003, and credit to the private sector has risen...

The labor market remains weak, disinflation has slowed, but falling wages are improving competitiveness. The weak economic environment is putting pressure on the banking sector. Financial conditions have deteriorated recently because of international financial market tensions. The Bank of Latvia...

Seychelles’s fiscal stance for 2012 allows maintaining a steady course toward debt reduction. The authorities’ decisions to downsize the loss-making national airline and raise tariffs of public enterprises are crucial steps for easing fiscal pressures and ensuring sufficient...

This paper discusses key findings of the Fifth Review for Afghanistan under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Performance under the PRGF-supported program has been mixed. Monetary and financial policies were broadly consistent with the program. However, difficulties were evident...

This paper discusses key findings of the Fourth Review Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) for Afghanistan and a Request for Waiver of Performance Criterion. Program performance during the second half of 2007/08 fell short of expectations. The performance criterion on fiscal...

With the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) completion, Congo’s prospects for achieving sustained growth and poverty reduction have improved. The HIPC completion reduced debt service obligations and increased the resilience of external debt indicators to shocks. Non-oil revenue is...