Sub-Saharan Africa

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• Canonical URL: Sub-Saharan Africa
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Contents

• Sub-Saharan Africa: Steady Growth Amid Fiscal Challenges
  • Published: November 18, 2025
  • Authors: Abebe Aemro Selassie, Amadou Sy
  • Summary: Increasing government revenue and better managing debt can help foster resilience and accelerate growth
• How to Spur Economic Growth in Africa’s Fragile and Conflict-Affected States
  • Published: June 5, 2025
  • Authors: Wenjie Chen, Michele Fornino, Hamza Mighri, Can Sever
  • Summary: Enhancing institutions, improving governance, strengthening public engagement, and building international partnerships are critical to overcome fragility
• The Clock is Ticking on Sub-Saharan Africa's Urgent Job Creation Challenge
  • Published: November 12, 2024
  • Authors: Athene Laws, Faten Saliba, Can Sever, Luc Tucker
  • Summary: To employ a growing population, the region needs to transform informal jobs, reduce barriers to business growth, and create conditions conductive to jobs growth in higher productivity sectors—especially in fragile and low-income countries
• Sub-Saharan Africa's Growth Requires Quality Education for Growing Population
  • Published: April 25, 2024
  • Authors: Michele Fornino, Andrew Tiffin
  • Summary: Despite government budget strains, countries should prioritize investment in schools with the help of the international community
• How Distrust of Government by Marginalized People Fuels Conflict in Africa
  • Published: January 25, 2024
  • Authors: Hany Abdel Latif, Mahmoud El Gamal
  • Summary: Improving people’s relationships with state institutions and ensuring access to services can foster conditions for greater peace and social cohesion in sub-Saharan Africa
• Africa's Fragile States Are Greatest Climate Change Casualties
  • Published: August 30, 2023
  • Authors: Jihad Azour, Abebe Aemro Selassie
  • Summary: International partners must support the continent’s most vulnerable countries to adapt to extreme weather—or spillovers could become more disruptive
• African Currencies Are Under Pressure Amid Higher-for-Longer US Interest Rates
  • Published: May 15, 2023
  • Authors: Laurent Kemoe, Moustapha Mbohou Mama, Hamza Mighri, Saad Quayyum
  • Summary: Weaker currencies make the fight to curb inflation harder given the region’s dependence on imports
• Africa’s Growing Crypto Market Needs Better Regulations
  • Published: November 22, 2022
  • Authors: Habtamu Fuje, Saad Quayyum, Tebo Molosiwa
  • Summary: The risks from crypto assets are evident—it’s time to regulate
• Africa’s Inflation Among Region’s Most Urgent Challenges
  • Published: October 20, 2022
  • Authors: Marijn Bolhuis, Peter Kovacs
  • Summary: Tackling inflation while supporting growth and protecting the vulnerable warrants careful and vigilant monetary policy tightening
• Africa Food Prices Are Soaring Amid High Import Reliance
  • Published: September 27, 2022
  • Authors: Cedric Okou, John Spray, D. Filiz Unsal
  • Summary: Factors include the region’s heavy reliance on food imports and changes in food consumption and incomes.
• Africa’s Rapid Economic Growth Hasn’t Fully Closed Income Gaps
  • Published: September 21, 2022
  • Authors: Habtamu Fuje, Jiaxiong Yao
  • Summary: Despite decades of rapid growth, regional inequalities in sub-Saharan Africa persist.
• How Africa Can Escape Chronic Food Insecurity Amid Climate Change
  • Published: September 14, 2022
  • Authors: Laurent Kemoe, Pritha Mitra, Cedric Okou, D. Filiz Unsal
  • Summary: The toll of extreme weather events on crops underscores the region’s challenges and need for policies to save lives and protect livelihoods.
• Real-Time Economic Indicators Help Better Track Activity in Africa
  • Published: May 27, 2022
  • Authors: Seung Mo Choi, Tara Iyer
  • Summary: Economists are increasingly turning to new technologies that help track indicators such as growth and inflation in real time to sharpen their forecasts and offer better input for policymakers.
• Africa Faces New Shock as War Raises Food and Fuel Costs
  • Published: April 28, 2022
  • Authors: Abebe Aemro Selassie, Peter Kovacs
  • Summary: The effects of the war in Ukraine leave policymakers with little room to maneuver.
• Restructuring Debt of Poorer Nations Requires More Efficient Coordination
  • Published: April 7, 2022
  • Authors: Guillaume Chabert, Martin Cerisola, Dalia Hakura
  • Summary: An improved common framework for debt treatment could clear a path through an increasingly complex creditor landscape.
• How Africa Can Navigate Growing Monetary Policy Challenges
  • Published: April 4, 2022
  • Authors: Tobias Adrian, Gaston Gelos, David Hofman
  • Summary: Tools such as foreign exchange intervention can ease the effects of shocks but need to be carefully weighed against potential longer-term costs.
• Personal Income Tax Has Untapped Potential in Poorer Countries
  • Published: March 24, 2022
  • Authors: Dora Benedek, Juan Carlos Benítez, Charles Vellutini
• Support for Africa’s Vaccine Production is Good for the World
  • Published: January 12, 2022
  • Authors: Kristalina Georgieva
  • Summary: Robust and reliable vaccine capacity in Africa is a global public good, deserving of global support.
• Africa Cannot Confront Climate Change Alone
  • Published: December 17, 2021
  • Summary: Africa contributes almost nothing to global warming.
• Africa's Path to Recovery in an Uncertain World
  • Published: December 16, 2021
  • Summary: Op-Ed by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and President of Senegal Macky Sall
• Food Inflation in Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Published: December 6, 2021
  • Authors: Seung Mo Choi
• Countering Tax Avoidance in Sub-Saharan Africa’s Mining Sector
  • Published: November 5, 2021
  • Authors: Giorgia Albertin, Dan Devlin, Boriana Yontcheva
• Sub-Saharan Africa: We Need to Act Now
  • Published: June 28, 2021
  • Authors: Kristalina Georgieva, Abebe Aemro Selassie
• How to Attract Private Finance to Africa’s Development
  • Published: June 14, 2021
  • Authors: Luc Eyraud,, Catherine Pattillo, Abebe Aemro Selassie
• The Policymaker’s Trilemma
  • Published: May 12, 2021
  • Authors: Abebe Aemro Selassie, Andrew Tiffin
• The Haves and Have-nots Of the Digital Age
  • Published: March 1, 2021
  • Authors: Gita Bhatt
• How e-Government Services Can Pay Dividends
  • Published: February 11, 2021
  • Authors: Ali Al-Sadiq
• Charting a Path for a Resilient Recovery in Sub Saharan Africa
  • Published: September 15, 2020
  • Authors: Kristalina Georgieva, Abebe Aemro Selassie
• Africa’s Hour of Need
  • Published: May 22, 2020
  • Authors: Abebe Aemro Selassie
• South Africa: Bridging the Income Divide
  • Published: February 7, 2020
  • Authors: The Editors
• Striking the Right Balance Between Sustainable Development and Sustainable Debt
  • Published: December 19, 2019
  • Authors: Kristalina Georgieva
• Mobile Money Spreads to Asia
  • Published: September 30, 2019
  • Authors: Esha Chhabra, Bidisha Das
• Voting on Gender Parity
  • Published: September 17, 2019
  • Authors: Rasmane Ouedraogo
  • Summary: Electoral violence occurs in many African countries. Tragically, thousands are killed and displaced during election cycles on the continent.
• When Disaster Strikes: Preparing for Climate Change
  • Published: June 26, 2019
  • Authors: Seán Nolan, Krishna Srinivasan
• Growing Through Education in Nigeria
  • Published: June 24, 2019
  • Authors: Vivian Malta, Monique Newiak
• Fintech in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Potential Game Changer
  • Published: February 14, 2019
• Chart of the Week: Sub-Saharan Africa’s Growth—A Tale of Different Experiences
  • Published: December 13, 2018
  • Authors: The Editors
• Realizing the Potential of the G20 Compact with Africa
  • Published: October 30, 2018
  • Authors: Christine Lagarde
• Trade and Remittances Within Africa
  • Published: August 1, 2018
  • Authors: Francisco Arizala, Matthieu Bellon, Margaux MacDonald, Montfort Mlachila, Mustafa Y. Yenice
• The Debt Challenge to African Growth
  • Published: May 23, 2018
  • Authors: Abebe Aemro Selassie
• A Framework for Currency Unions and IMF Lending
  • Published: March 16, 2018
  • Authors: Sean Hagan, Hugh Bredenkamp
• Game-Changers and Whistle-Blowers: Taxing Wealth
  • Published: February 13, 2018
  • Authors: James Brumby, Michael Keen
• No Roads? No Problem: The Leapfrogging Drones of Rwanda
  • Published: January 12, 2018
  • Authors: The Editors
• Taxes, Debt and Development: A One-Percent Rule to Raise Revenues in Africa
  • Published: December 5, 2017
  • Authors: Vitor Gaspar, Abebe Aemro Selassie
• Back-to-School Blogs
  • Published: September 5, 2017
  • Authors: The Editors
• Uganda's Recipe for Growth
  • Published: July 21, 2017
  • Authors: The Editors
• Transparency Pays: Emerging Markets Share More Data
  • Published: July 7, 2017
  • Authors: Sangyup Choi, Stephanie Medina Cas
• Banking On the Go
  • Published: June 23, 2017
  • Authors: The Editors
• The Compact with Africa—The Contribution of the IMF
  • Published: June 12, 2017
  • Authors: Christine Lagarde
• Make Women a Priority
  • Published: March 24, 2017
  • Authors: The Editors
• Invest in Africa
  • Published: March 17, 2017
  • Authors: The Editors
• A Sea Change: The New Migration from sub-Saharan Africa
  • Published: November 2, 2016
  • Authors: Jesus Gonzalez-Garcia, Montfort Mlachila
• Sub-Saharan Africa Growth Lowest in 20 Years
  • Published: October 26, 2016
  • Authors: iMFdirect
• Africa Pausing
  • Published: May 31, 2016
  • Authors: Jeff Hayden
• Capacity Development in Africa: the Faces behind the Numbers
  • Published: April 7, 2016
  • Authors: Carla Grasso
• The Change in Demand for Debt: The New Landscape in Low-income Countries
  • Published: February 17, 2016
  • Authors: Min Zhu, Andrea F. Presbitero
• Competitiveness in Sub-Saharan Africa: Time to Move Ahead
  • Published: January 28, 2016
  • Authors: Antoinette M. Sayeh
• China and Africa: Will the Honeymoon Continue?
  • Published: December 21, 2015
  • Authors: Wenjie Chen, Roger Nord
• A Glimpse of the Future
  • Published: November 30, 2015
  • Authors: Jeff Hayden
• Tackling Inequality in sub-Saharan Africa Could Yield Mileage on Growth
  • Published: November 16, 2015
  • Authors: Antoinette M. Sayeh
• Building A Monetary Union in Africa
  • Published: March 4, 2015
• In Mozambique—and In Africa—Rising Requires Resilience
  • Published: September 3, 2014
  • Authors: Doris Ross
• Targeted Policies Mean True Transformation in Africa
  • Published: May 8, 2014
  • Authors: Antoinette M. Sayeh
• For Africa, Good Policies Bring Good Prospects
  • Published: April 24, 2014
  • Authors: Antoinette M. Sayeh
• If China Sneezes, Africa Can Now Catch a Cold
  • Published: March 20, 2014
  • Authors: Paulo Drummond, Estelle Xue Liu
• Mali – At the Dawn of a New Year
  • Published: January 11, 2014
  • Authors: Christine Lagarde
• A New Frontier for Kenya and Africa
  • Published: January 8, 2014
  • Authors: Christine Lagarde
• Africa: Second Fastest-Growing Region in the World
  • Published: June 10, 2013
  • Authors: Antoinette M. Sayeh
• Time for Change—Shifting Energy Spending in Africa
  • Published: March 28, 2013
  • Authors: Antoinette M. Sayeh
• Africa and the Great Recession: Changing Times
  • Published: May 14, 2012
• Africa’s Growth Puzzle: Better Ways to Fill Infrastructure Gaps
  • Published: February 28, 2012
• Showcasing a More Confident Africa
  • Published: December 16, 2011
  • Authors: Christine Lagarde
• Africa: Changing the Narrative
  • Published: December 3, 2011
  • Authors: Jeremy Clift
• Africa’s New Janus-Like Trade Posture
  • Published: October 30, 2011
  • Authors: Antoinette M. Sayeh
• Beyond Growth: the Importance of Inclusion
  • Published: July 7, 2011
  • Authors: Antoinette M. Sayeh
• Confessions of a Dismal Scientist—Africa's Resilience
  • Published: May 3, 2011
  • Authors: Abebe Aemro Selassie
• Raising Government Revenue in Africa: A Road out of Poverty
  • Published: March 21, 2011
  • Authors: Mark Plant
• West Africa: Economic Recovery and Beyond
  • Published: November 2, 2010
  • Authors: Mark Plant
• Help in the Neighborhood: 'Just a Phone Call Away'
  • Published: March 25, 2010
• This Time It’s Different
  • Published: March 12, 2010
  • Authors: Dominique Strauss-Kahn
• Something New Out of Africa: A Global Player
  • Published: March 10, 2010
  • Authors: Dominique Strauss-Kahn
• Africa Is Back
  • Published: March 9, 2010
  • Authors: Dominique Strauss-Kahn
• IMF—Delivering on Promises to Africa
  • Published: March 7, 2010
  • Authors: Dominique Strauss-Kahn

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Source: https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/regions/AFR