The Sixth and Seventh Reviews under the three-year arrangement of the Extended Credit Facility observed that te Ghanaian economy performed well in 2011, but risks to macroeconomic stability have risen recently. Even though debt management capacity and policies have been strengthened, progress...

The staff report for Ireland’s fifth review under the Extended Arrangement states that financial sector reforms continued to advance, with the two structural benchmarks for end-2011 observed. In particular, targets for bank deleveraging in 2011 were met, with almost €15 billion of...

The global crisis left Albania fairly unscathed and ushered in the needed economic rebalancing. The policy framework has been challenged in the post-crisis environment significant headwinds. Despite improvement, external imbalances remain elevated. Fiscal consolidation in terms of a more...

The Irish authorities steadfastly maintained strong policy implementation despite a sharp escalation and expansion of stress in euro area sovereign bond markets. Strengthened European support is welcome, but early implementation is key, and restoring broader stability in the euro area is...

Botswana’s economy staged an impressive recovery during the past year. The strong economic recovery has helped stabilize financial market conditions. The overall external position has also strengthened. The overriding economic policy challenges are to reduce the size of government...

Fiscal Responsibility Laws (FRLs) appear to be more popular in middle-income countries than advanced countries, even though their success is limited. The reasons why few advanced countries have a FRL include: the existing legal framework for the budget system is adequate; supranational rules and...

In 2008–09, economic activity in Burkina Faso was negatively affected by the increase in global food and fuel prices, the global economic and financial crisis, and heavy flooding in Ouagadougou in September 2009. These shocks are estimated to have contributed to a deterioration in poverty...

Zambia showed strong economic performance with robust growth and moderating inflation under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF). It showed sound macroeconomic policies and progress in structural reforms. The Zambian authorities consider their main challenge to create fiscal space for priority...

This 2004 Article IV Consultation highlights that real GDP growth of Mauritius is expected to rebound to about 4½ percent in 2003/04. This largely reflects the recovery of tourism and sugar production, and continued strong construction and transportation activity. The current account is...

This 2004 Article IV Consultation highlights that Barbados’s economy has recovered partially from the 2001–02 recession, as real GDP grew by an estimated 2 percent in 2003, led by a recovery in the tourism sector. Inflation remained low at 1.5 percent, reflecting the currency peg....