Training Program

The course targets mid-level and technical staff from ministries of finance, economy, and planning and central banks who advise on or help implement macroeconomic and financial policies in SSA countries

Participants are expected to have a degree in economics or equivalent experience, good quantitative skills, and be comfortable using Microsoft Excel and Excel-based applications.

Knowledge of MATLAB is also desirable. It is strongly recommended that applicants have completed the Financial Programming and Policies and Macroeconomic Diagnostics courses, while previous participation in the courses on DSGE, Monetary Policy, or Monetary Policy Analysis and Forecasting is highly desirable.

The course will cover basic epidemiology concepts, models and tools that can be integrated into macroeconomic models for the analysis of the transmission channels of epidemics to the economy and design of appropriate policy responses. It will discuss the role of testing and quarantining, the effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions (e.g. social distancing), and fiscal and monetary policies during pandemics. Hands-on workshops will feature quantitative tools and applications on epidemics, fiscal policy, and monetary policy. Although the course will be developed by external experts-Prof. Sergio Rebelo (Northwestern University), Prof. Martin Eichenbaum (Northwestern University), and Prof. Mathias Trabandt (Goethe University)-it will be designed in modules that can be presented by experts and policy practitioners from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and lecturers from the Africa Training Institute (ATI).