{
  "title": "Capacity Development in Africa: the Faces behind the Numbers",
  "publication": "IMF Blog, April 7, 2016",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2016/04/07/capacity-development-in-africa-the-faces-behind-the-numbers",
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  "summary": "Author: Carla Grasso",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Overview",
      "content": "- Author: Carla Grasso\n- Date: April 7, 2016\n- Versions in: عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese), Русский (Russian), and Español (Spanish)\n- Central premise: Without good data, it is difficult to assess how an economy is performing and formulate smart policies that help improve lives.\n- Illustration of progress: Mozambique went from having no national accounts or consumer price index to creating one of the leading statistical agencies in Sub-Saharan Africa in little over twenty years.\n- Field engagement: The author’s 10-day visit in early March provided first-hand observations of IMF capacity development work in sub-Saharan Africa."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Peer-to-peer learning and knowledge sharing",
      "content": "- Observed practice: A workshop in Tanzania organized jointly by the IMF and the central bank where officials from across the region discussed expanding access to finance and financial vulnerabilities.\n- Value emphasized by participants: Experience-sharing outside formal courses—“peer-to-peer learning”—is important for capacity development.\n- Objectives of peer learning platforms:\n  - Facilitate policymakers facing similar challenges to learn from each other.\n  - Help set common policy goals.\n- Example of outcomes:\n  - Senegal is using peer learning to implement its new development strategy with the goal of becoming an emerging market economy within the next two decades.\n  - Senegal is drawing on experiences from Cape Verde, Mauritius, and Seychelles to:\n    - introduce tax identification numbers,\n    - set up credit information bureaus,\n    - develop tourism and special economic zones."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Hands-on learning and integration with policy advice",
      "content": "- Approach: Capacity development is integral to IMF dialogue with member countries and goes beyond issuing policy advice or technical reports to working hands-on with officials.\n- Practical collaboration areas:\n  - Country teams and fiscal experts work together when advising how to broaden the tax base or spend more productively.\n  - Strengthening knowledge management systems to make expert knowledge easily shareable throughout the IMF.\n- Tailoring: Capacity development must be tailored to country needs and integrated into development strategies.\n- Presence: Anchoring capacity development in the economic realities of countries is easier when the IMF is present on the ground in regionally based centers.\n- Training example: The Africa Training Institute in Mauritius hosted a regional conference on the future of monetary integration in Africa, relevant as the region plans deeper monetary integration including setting up an East Africa Monetary Union."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Fiscal frameworks, commodity shocks, and building cushions",
      "content": "- 2014 initiative: The IMF co-sponsored a major conference in Mozambique on the theme of “Africa Rising,” recognizing the risks that natural resource wealth can become a curse without strong frameworks.\n- Policy focus: Work with governments to begin putting in place strong fiscal frameworks to manage resource revenues for current and future generations.\n- Changing context:\n  - Fast forward two years, officials see the urgency of stronger fiscal frameworks as they grapple with the effects of oil and other commodities’ plunging price.\n  - This underscores the need for countries to build cushions and develop the capacity—in good times and in bad—to respond to potential shocks.\n- Partnerships: IMF capacity development relies on close work with recipient countries and many partners around the world whose financial support enables the provision of capacity development advice."
    },
    {
      "heading": "The people behind the numbers",
      "content": "- Motivating insight: Face-to-face engagement and human stories underscore the purpose of capacity development—improving lives and futures.\n- Personal observation: Visit to Watoto Wetu orphanage in Tanzania where children sang as a reminder of the real-world impact of economic policy and capacity development.\n\nSource: Capacity Development in Africa: the Faces behind the Numbers — Carla Grasso, April 7, 2016.\n\n---\n\n Content in this bundle\n\n- 非洲能力建设：数字背后的面孔; iMFdirect博客; 2016年4月7日\n  - 非洲能力建设：数字背后的面孔; iMFdirect博客; 2016年4月7日 (Markdown version){rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text/markdown\"}\n  - 非洲能力建设：数字背后的面孔; iMFdirect博客; 2016年4月7日 (PDF){rel=\"external\" type=\"application/pdf\"}\n- アフリカの能力構築：数字の裏にあるもの: カルラ・グラッソ iMFdirect ブログ 2016年4月7日掲載\n  - アフリカの能力構築：数字の裏にあるもの: カルラ・グラッソ iMFdirect ブログ 2016年4月7日掲載 (Markdown version){rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text/markdown\"}\n  - アフリカの能力構築：数字の裏にあるもの: カルラ・グラッソ iMFdirect ブログ 2016年4月7日掲載 (PDF){rel=\"external\" type=\"application/pdf\"}\n- Desenvolvimento de capacidades em África: os rostos por trás dos números\n  - Desenvolvimento de capacidades em África: os rostos por trás dos números (Markdown version){rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text/markdown\"}\n  - Desenvolvimento de capacidades em África: os rostos por trás dos números (PDF){rel=\"external\" type=\"application/pdf\"}\n- Развитие потенциала в Африке. Люди, стоящие за цифрами\n  - Развитие потенциала в Африке. Люди, стоящие за цифрами (Markdown version){rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text/markdown\"}\n  - Развитие потенциала в Африке. Люди, стоящие за цифрами (PDF){rel=\"external\" type=\"application/pdf\"}\n- 040716s\n  - 040716s (Markdown version){rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text/markdown\"}\n  - 040716s (PDF){rel=\"external\" type=\"application/pdf\"}\n\n---\n\n References\n\n- عربي\n- a workshop\n- regionally based centers\n- Mozambique\n- Africa Rising\n- Tanzania\n\nSource: https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2016/04/07/capacity-development-in-africa-the-faces-behind-the-numbers"
    }
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    "Authors: Carla Grasso",
    "Published: April 7, 2016",
    "Author: Carla Grasso",
    "Date: April 7, 2016",
    "Versions in: عربي (Arabic), 中文 (Chinese), Français (French), 日本語 (Japanese), Português (Portuguese), Русский (Russian), and Español (Spanish)",
    "Central premise: Without good data, it is difficult to assess how an economy is performing and formulate smart policies that help improve lives.",
    "Illustration of progress: Mozambique went from having no national accounts or consumer price index to creating one of the leading statistical agencies in Sub-Saharan Africa in little over twenty years.",
    "Field engagement: The author’s 10-day visit in early March provided first-hand observations of IMF capacity development work in sub-Saharan Africa.",
    "Observed practice: A workshop in Tanzania organized jointly by the IMF and the central bank where officials from across the region discussed expanding access to finance and financial vulnerabilities.",
    "Value emphasized by participants: Experience-sharing outside formal courses—“peer-to-peer learning”—is important for capacity development.",
    "Objectives of peer learning platforms:",
    "Example of outcomes:",
    "Approach: Capacity development is integral to IMF dialogue with member countries and goes beyond issuing policy advice or technical reports to working hands-on with officials.",
    "Practical collaboration areas:",
    "Tailoring: Capacity development must be tailored to country needs and integrated into development strategies.",
    "Presence: Anchoring capacity development in the economic realities of countries is easier when the IMF is present on the ground in regionally based centers.",
    "Training example: The Africa Training Institute in Mauritius hosted a regional conference on the future of monetary integration in Africa, relevant as the region plans deeper monetary integration including setting up an East Africa Monetary Union.",
    "2014 initiative: The IMF co-sponsored a major conference in Mozambique on the theme of “Africa Rising,” recognizing the risks that natural resource wealth can become a curse without strong frameworks.",
    "Policy focus: Work with governments to begin putting in place strong fiscal frameworks to manage resource revenues for current and future generations.",
    "Changing context:",
    "Partnerships: IMF capacity development relies on close work with recipient countries and many partners around the world whose financial support enables the provision of capacity development advice.",
    "Motivating insight: Face-to-face engagement and human stories underscore the purpose of capacity development—improving lives and futures.",
    "Personal observation: Visit to Watoto Wetu orphanage in Tanzania where children sang as a reminder of the real-world impact of economic policy and capacity development.",
    "**非洲能力建设：数字背后的面孔; iMFdirect博客; 2016年4月7日**",
    "**アフリカの能力構築：数字の裏にあるもの: カルラ・グラッソ iMFdirect ブログ 2016年4月7日掲載**",
    "**Desenvolvimento de capacidades em África: os rostos por trás dos números**",
    "**Развитие потенциала в Африке. Люди, стоящие за цифрами**",
    "**040716s**",
    "[عربي](http://blog-montada.imf.org/?p=4146)",
    "[a workshop](http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2016/pr1689.htm)",
    "[regionally based centers](http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/afritac.htm)",
    "[Mozambique](http://www.imf.org/external/country/moz/rr/index.htm)",
    "[Africa Rising](http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2014/car052914a.htm)",
    "[Tanzania](http://www.imf.org/external/country/tza/rr/index.htm)"
  ],
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