Africa: Special Issue, October 2023: In Pursuit of Stronger Growth and Resilience

Africa: Special Issue, October 2023: In Pursuit of Stronger Growth and Resilience
ISBN-10
ISBN-13
9798400254772
Category
Business & Economics
Pages
21
Language
English
Published
2023-10-10
Publisher
International Monetary Fund
Authors
International Monetary Fund. African Dept., International Monetary, International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.

Description

On the occasion of the World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings’ return to the African continent after 50 years—specifically to Marrakech, Morocco—this Special Issue on Africa discusses economic developments for the entire continent. After four years of crises and at the close of another difficult year, recent events, including the devastating earthquake in Morocco, severe floods in Libya, and the impact of Cyclone Freddy in Malawi, have underscored the continent’s ongoing vulnerability to natural disasters and the need to build resilience. In the near term, there are tentative signs that the outlook in many countries in Africa is improving. Inflation is generally easing, economic activity is starting to pick up, and fiscal imbalances are gradually moderating. However, significant challenges remain, and it is too early to celebrate. For too many countries, inflation is still too high, debt vulnerabilities remain elevated, and medium-term growth rates are too low. Recent episodes of political instability also underscore the fragility of conflict-affected states. Against this background, Africa’s policymakers should prioritize efforts to boost resilience by ensuring macroeconomic stability and accel-erating structural reforms to foster stronger, more inclusive growth. The international community should maintain and enhance a cooperative approach to the provision of global public goods. In the case of Africa, it is essential to support the region’s most vulnerable climate- and conflict-affected states.

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