Capacity Development Training

The IMF Institute for Capacity Development (ICD) was established in 1964 to provide training in economic management to officials of the IMF's member countries. Training is delivered at IMF Headquarters in Washington, D.C., through IMF regional training centers, in collaboration with other regional training institutions and national governments, and through online courses in partnership with edX and through our YouTube Learning Channel.

Training at IMF Headquarters

Training at IMF Headquarters (HQ) in Washington, D.C. is offered in four languages—Arabic, English, French, and Spanish. Much of the HQ curriculum is targeted to a global audience. 

Regional Training Centers

Training courses are held at regional training centers and programs in Austria, Brazil, China, Côte d'Ivoire, Georgia, India, Kuwait, Mauritius, and Singapore. Courses at the regional training centers are targeted to eligible officials from the region and are offered in English and the primary language of the region. The new China-IMF Capacity Development Center (CICDC) was formally launched in April 2018.

Online Learning

Online learning (OL) is offered in partnership with edX and through our YouTube Learning Channel. It is designed to complement the Institute’s residential training program. For more information, please refer to our online learning page.

Government officials from all IMF member countries are eligible to apply to IMF courses, with the exception of those from a few countries that have been declared ineligible for technical assistance. The selection processes give priority to government officials whose professional assignments are closely related to the subject matter of the specified courses. Courses held at HQ and in our regional training centers and programs tend to be most appropriate for officials from ministries of finance, economy, and planning, as well as central banks and statistics bureaus. For courses on macroeconomic statistics, priority is given to statistical compilers. The IMF cannot consider applications from persons employed in non-governmental businesses or institutions, such as commercial banks, universities, or trade unions.

For more information on training courses and specific course eligibility guidelines, please refer to the guidelines in our Digital Training Catalog.

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The Institute organizes an Internal Economics Training (IET) program for IMF economists. This program provides short courses and half-day seminars to IMF economists to strengthen and update their analytical skills.

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In sub-Saharan and Northern Africa, the Institute for Capacity Development (ICD) along with other Fund departments offer training with the African Development Bank, through the Joint Partnership for Africa. Furthermore, in English-speaking Africa, ICD offers training with the Macroeconomic and Financial Management Institute of Eastern and Southern Africa (MEFMI), the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM), and South African Reserve Bank.  In French-speaking Africa, ICD collaborates with the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) located in Dakar, Senegal, and with the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) located in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Occasionally, ICD collaborates with Bank of Portugal, to offer training for African Lusophone countries, and with Banque de France, to offer training for Low Income Countries.

In Asia, the Institute collaborates with and offers lecturing assistance to South-East Asian Central Banks Research and Training Center (SEACEN), and works with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank in arranging training activities in Asia. It partners with universities in Singapore on training delivery. Beyond the regional organizations, the Institute also collaborates with the Japan Center for International Finance (JCIF), the World Bank, and the Band for International Settlements (BIS) in arranging training activities in Asia.  

In the Western Hemisphere, the Institute collaborates with the Center for Latin American Monetary Studies (CEMLA) in Mexico City, Mexico, and with the Institute of Brazilian Business and Public Management Issues (IBI), George Washington University, in conjunction with the Minerva Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  

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