Costa Rica has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, notwithstanding the authorities' proactive policy response and the country's well-established universal healthcare system. The socio-economic impact has been significant, exacerbating an already fragile outlook and pre-existing imbalances,...

After almost a decade of strong growth, the WAEMU region is facing severe challenges from a triple crisis impacting the health, economic and security situations. Both fiscal and monetary policies were relaxed significantly in 2020 to contain the pandemic and support the economy. A gradual fiscal...

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a severe impact on Sao Tome and Principe's economy, exacerbating fiscal and external imbalances. Tourism activities and external remittances dropped sharply, while lockdown measures further deepened the recession. The authorities' swift actions and unprecedented...

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a severe human, economic, and social impact on Mauritania. The economy is estimated to have contracted by about 2 percent in 2020 and the crisis generated large financing needs. The authorities responded swiftly to mitigate the impact of the pandemic while...

Samoa has shown resilience to past economic shocks, underpinned by the authorities' strong commitment to support the economy and financial assistance provided by the international community. Samoa was among the first countries in the world to secure its border to protect its citizens from...

Sierra Leone continues to grapple with the serious and persistent economic and social effects of the pandemic. Containment measures and trade disruptions in 2020 weakened domestic demand and exports and caused domestic revenues to fall. Moreover, food insecurity has risen from its already-high...

COVID-19 has taken a severe social and economic toll, including almost 60,000 deaths. With over 5 million jobs temporarily affected, Colombia recorded its largest recession on record. Since 2020H2, an uneven recovery with intermittent growth has been underway, led by private domestic demand....

Against the background of the pandemic shock, a coup d'etat on August 18, 2020 led to a period of international disengagement with Mali and an economic blockade by ECOWAS until the appointment of a transitional government in October. Fund engagement was also put on hold during this period,...

The authorities are requesting additional interim HIPC assistance from the Fund in the amount of SDR 680,000 (Appendix I) to cover the period March 25, 2021- March 24, 2022. The interim HIPC assistance will be applied to cover 100 percent of eligible debt service to the IMF falling due over the...

Kenya has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite a forceful policy response by the authorities, the socio-economic impact has been significant. The shock has also exacerbated the country's pre-existing fiscal vulnerabilities, pushing Kenya into high risk of debt distress. While the...