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Now displaying: Category: Countries and Regions
Sep 25, 2024

With all the instability within the Middle East and North Africa region of late, Egypt has nonetheless managed to reign in soaring inflation and win its largest-ever foreign investment. Egypt’s efforts to restore macroeconomic stability in recent years have led to an arrangement under the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility for Egypt, which makes available US$820 million to help support its reform agenda. Ivanna Vladkova Hollar leads the IMF’s work in Egypt. In this podcast, she says that while stabilizing its economy is positive, Egypt’s next big step is an economic transformation that will lift its private sector.

Transcript: https://bit.ly/4efXuzH

Learn more about the IMF’s work in Egypt at IMF.org/Egypt

May 26, 2023

Like so many countries across the Middle East and North Africa, Morocco faced successive shocks over the past three years including a devastating drought. But the country managed well thanks to an aggressive reform agenda. In this podcast, Morocco’s Finance Minister Nadia Fettah, and IMF Regional Director Jihad Azour, discuss how Morocco is keeping reforms on track despite the challenging circumstances, and what lessons other countries in the region might learn from Morocco’s experience. Their conversation was part of the Governor Talks series hosted by the IMF during the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings, and a preamble to the Annual Meetings to be held in Marrakesh this fall.

Watch the webcast at IMF.org

Oct 20, 2017

As new technology rapidly transforms the financial services sector, central bankers are faced with mitigating risks without stifling innovation. But In this podcast, South Africa’s Central Bank Governor, Lesetja Kganyago, says inflation, currency depreciation, and political uncertainty remain his biggest challenges. Kganyago joined a panel discussion on what Fintech means for central banking during the 2017 IMF World-Bank Annual Meetings in Washington.  

Contributors:

Lesetja Kganyago, Governor of the South African Reserve Bank

@KganyagoLesetja

Aug 17, 2017

While Africa’s workforce expands, the lack of modern and efficient infrastructure is inhibiting economic growth. The prospect of building power plants and transportation networks is daunting for many countries with limited resources, but in this podcast, former Chief Economist of the African Development Bank, Mthuli Ncube, says reducing risks for private sector investors could help Africa build the infrastructure it so desperately needs. 

Contributors:

Mthuli Ncube, Managing Director of Quantum Global Research Lab, visiting professor at Oxford University, and co-editor of Infrastructure in Africa: Lessons for Future Development.

Aug 3, 2017

Extreme weather has hit Malawi’s economy hard over the last two years. Severe flooding followed by a drought—the worst in its history—caused widespread crop failure and placed 6.7 million people at risk of starvation. But a remarkable humanitarian effort helped reduce the impact of the drought on the most vulnerable segment of the population. An increase by the IMF to the amount of resources it provides to Malawi, as well as sizable contributions from Malawi’s development partners like the World Food Program and the World Bank, enabled the country to address the worst humanitarian crisis in its history.

In this feature podcast, we hear from the small-scale farmers beset by the effects of climate change, beneficiaries of food aid including school children, and key players within the various agencies who were faced with making tough decisions in the throes of a major food crisis.

 

Contributors:

Oral Williams: IMF Mission Chief for Malawi

Jack Ree: IMF Resident Representative in Malawi

Goodall Gondwe: Malawi’s Finance Minister

Ben Botolo: Malawi’s Secretary to the Treasury

Coco Ushiyama: World Food Program Representative for Malawi

Roisin DeBurca: Unicef’s Deputy Director for Malawi

Laura Kullenberg: Country Manager for the World Bank in Malawi

Richard Record: Senior Country Economist for the World Bank in Malawi

Jul 21, 2017

As China’s economy catches up in size with that of the United States, some predict the renminbi will soon challenge the dollar’s dominance in international finance. But in this podcast, Cornell University’s Eswar Prasad says there are limits to how far China’s currency can go without undertaking significant domestic reforms. Prasad, a former IMF economist himself, was invited to IMF headquarters in Washington to talk about his latest book Gaining Currency: The Rise of the Renminbi

Contributors:

Eswar Prasad, Professor of Trade Policy and Economics at Cornell University, Senior Fellow at the Brookings institution, and author.

Mar 15, 2017

As the Group of Twenty finance ministers and central bank governors meet in Germany this week, policymakers are looking at ways to increase investment in Africa. ONE Campaign’s Jamie Drummond says investing into the education, employment and empowerment of this generation of Africans will help create jobs and curb migration into Europe.

Contributors:

Jamie Drummond, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The ONE Campaign

Aug 19, 2016

Les Autorités Malagasy et les services du FMI sont arrivés à un accord de principe sur un programme économique valable jusqu’à fin 2019, ouvrant la voie à une croissance soutenue et inclusive. Les politiques envisagées dans ce cadre pourraient bénéficier d’un concours de $310 millions de dollars. Dans ce podcast, Marshall Mills, chef de Mission pour le Madagascar, discute les points essentiels du nouveau programme.

Contributors:

Marshall Mills, chef de Mission du FMI pour le Madagascar

Aug 19, 2016

The IMF says Madagascar has built a good track record since it’s reengagement in 2014, showing the country is capable of sustaining recent reforms that have improved its economic outlook. In this podcast, Mission Chief, Marshall Mills talks about a new IMF program for Madagascar that includes US$ 310 million over three years.  

Contributors:

Marshall Mills, IMF Mission Chief for Madagascar

May 13, 2016

As Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun is charged with navigating Africa’s largest oil producer through the biggest oil price slump in decades. In this podcast, Adeosun talks about the need to diversify government revenues, and how inclusive growth can stem rising insecurity. Adeosun joined a panel discussion about sub-Saharan Africa during the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings.

Contributors:

Kemi Adeosun, Nigeria’s Finance Minister

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