This paper focuses on the Republic of Lithuania’s Third Review Under the Stand-By Arrangement. Program implementation has been good and all end-December 2002 quantitative performance criteria were met. Macroeconomic performance in 2002 was better than expected: real GDP grew by 5.9...

The Bahamas’s 2005 Article IV Consultation reports that the economic slowdown has contributed to deterioration in the fiscal accounts. The Bahamas is a small, open, and relatively wealthy economy, which is highly dependent on tourism from the United States and offshore financial...

The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Annual Progress Report (PRSPs) on Ghana explains macroeconomic, structural, and social policies in support of growth and poverty reduction, as well as associated external financing needs and major sources of financing. The Annual Progress Report (APR)...

This 2002 Article IV Consultation highlights that the economic activity in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is estimated to have slowed. Despite the use of the bump-up funds by some of the FSM’s four state governments to boost spending during FY2002, GDP is estimated to have grown...

This Ex Post Assessment of Longer-Term Program Engagement for Cameroon highlights that the strengthening non-oil revenue and improving expenditure monitoring and control are critical to strengthening the fiscal position. Structural policies aimed at improving competitiveness and promoting...

Cameroon’s 2005 Article IV Consultation reports that tangible progress has been made in the health and education sectors, and a number of social indicators have improved significantly. The deterioration in fiscal performance and related weaknesses in fiscal management could, in the longer...

This paper reviews Ex-Post Assessment of Performance Under IMF-Supported Programs for Guinea-Bissau. More than two-thirds of the population of approximately 1.3 million is living below the poverty line in Guinea-Bissau. The paper describes developments under IMF-supported programs since 1993,...

The Republic of Palau (Palau) has always been heavily dependent on external assistance. The availability of steady grants has allowed Palau to maintain a sizable public sector. A number of issues are considered in designing a comprehensive management strategy for the Compact Trust Fund (CTF)....

Long-term issues continue to dominate the economic policy agenda. The economy is expected to grow at a moderate pace. The challenge from aging is becoming more pressing, calling for sustained fiscal consolidation. The elaboration of a medium-term fiscal framework based on expenditure growth...

This 2002 Article IV Consultation highlights that the economic activity in Tonga rebounded modestly in 2001/02, as real GDP growth accelerated from about ½ percent in 2000/01 (fiscal year July–June) to 1½ percent in 2001/02. Conditions in agriculture improved owing to record-high...