This paper examines Niger’s sixth review under the three-year arrangement under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). A successor PRGF-supported program would support the authorities’ efforts to move toward meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) while...

Economic growth is estimated to have moderated further in 2010 to about 5 percent, reflecting slower growth in both the oil and non-oil sectors. The overall commitment fiscal deficit for 2010 is now estimated at 2.7 percent of GDP, about 0.6 percentage point of GDP below the program target....

The Executive Board approved a three-year Extended Fund Facility with Seychelles. This report briefly outlines performance under the program, including compliance with the end-December targets, before addressing the issue of financing assurances. Macroeconomic performance through end-2009...

The article is a review on Djibouti’s Extended Credit Facility (ECF) program and the performance of economic development in the program. The ECF program helped Djibouti to maintain macroeconomic stability, and the period underwent a transformation in the Djiboutian economy. The country...

The 2007 Article IV Consultation on the Republic of Kazakhstan focuses on the appropriate policy response to mounting banking sector risks and continuing inflation pressures. Banking sector risks are mounting and inflation remains relatively high. The authorities intend to continue raising...

The staff report for the Republic of Congo’s combined 2008 Article IV Consultation and Requests for a Three-Year Arrangement Under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility is discussed. To enhance external viability, the authorities recognize the need to improve competitiveness, raise...

The contraction in Romania’s domestic demand has set off a sharp correction in external imbalances and helped ease pressures on inflation. Real GDP contracted by 7.6 percent in the first half of 2009, compared with 2 percent projected under the program, on account of a sharp drop in...

This Selected Issues paper presents an external stability assessment on Niger. Niger’s current account balance deteriorated in 2013, mostly on account of higher food and capital goods imports. The deficit is expected to widen further in 2014–15, mainly driven by large investment in...

The principal policy task in Hungary is to place public finances on a sound footing. For monetary policy, the challenge is to identify one-off inflationary influences, communicate these to the public and financial markets, and deal with second-round effects. From a risk-management perspective, a...

This 2009 Article IV Consultation highlights that the global economic crisis has severely affected the Portuguese economy. Output will likely contract by almost 3 percent in 2009, driven by sharp falls in exports and investment. Despite a substantial rise in unemployment to nearly 10 percent,...