Africa Caucus, led by Wale Edun, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy have held talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on how to push better living standards across the continent.
The talks were held during the ongoing annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington DC.
The African Caucus chaired by Edun, reaffirmed Commitment to Strengthening Africa’s Economic Resilience.
“We held a constructive discussion focused on making progress towards the shared goal we hold for raising living standards across Africa. The region is navigating a complex economic landscape,” Edun and Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF noted in a statement at the conclusion of the Caucus meeting.
Geopolitical fragmentation, elevated borrowing costs, and the ongoing high cost of living are creating a challenging backdrop for policymaking. Some countries have also faced social instability and insecurity which imposes heavy human costs on populations while also undermining growth prospects and exacerbating economic vulnerabilities.
This creates acute trade-offs in policymaking, further complicating the objectives of promoting inclusive development. Yet, progress has been made in bringing down inflation, stabilizing public debt, and pressing ahead with reforms. Looking ahead, growth is expected to soften next year, with significant variation across the region.
Read also: IMF forecasts Nigeria’s economy drop to fourth largest in Africa
Established in 1963, African Caucus’s objective is to strengthen the voice of African Governors in the Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs) – the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG), on development issues of particular interest to Africa.
Membership to the Caucus is open to all African Countries who are members of the IMF and WBG, currently all the 54 countries on the African continent. The countries are represented by their respective Governors at these institutions, commonly referred to as the African Governors, who are usually Ministers of Finance and Economic Development, and Central Banks Governors.
The statement reads: “Together we are committed to strengthening Africa’s resilience to address the many challenges facing the continent. Policy priorities in the region are focused on securing the economic recovery, continuing to address imbalances, and creating space for much-needed development-focused investment.
” In countries where inflationary pressures are receding and inflation is near target, there is space to gradually ease towards a more neutral stance in close cooperation with other policies. In countries where inflation is still elevated, further tightening may be required. The exchange rate, where appropriate, should be allowed to play its shock absorber role while mitigating the second-round effects of depreciation. Fiscal policy needs to find the right balance to address debt vulnerabilities and spending pressures.
“Renewed focus on enhancing domestic resource mobilization is critical and it should be supported by governance reforms to improve public financial management, fiscal transparency, and enhance accountability. We welcome the launch of the Joint Domestic Resource Mobilization Initiative (JDRMI) by the IMF and World Bank which seeks to improve domestic revenue mobilization, enhance spending efficiency, and develop domestic financial markets.
“We support a joint effort to channel more affordable financing for development, including for climate change adaptation and mitigation. This urgent need for scaling up concessional financing for Africa needs the support of all partners.
“The recently approved Review of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) allows the Fund to maintain adequate financial support to low-income countries while restoring the self-sustainability of the Trust. The Review of Charges and the Surcharge Policy have substantially reduced the cost of borrowing
under the General Resource Account (GRA). Once the reform becomes effective on November 1, 2024, eight countries will not be subject to surcharges because their credit outstanding will be below the new threshold, four of which are in Africa. The Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST) is providing longer-term affordable financing to address longer-term challenges, including climate change and pandemic preparedness. We encourage continued support to ensure that the RST has the financing available to meet growing needs. We welcome the IMF Executive Board’s approval of the use of SDRs for the acquisition of hybrid capital instruments issued by prescribed holders. This will allow members to channel SDRs to Multilateral Development Banks as part of their capital.
“We welcome the conclusion of the 16th General Review of Quotas (GRQ) with the approved increase of IMF members’ quotas by 50 percent. We encourage more work on quota realignment towards developing economies, including through a new quota formula, under the 17th GRQ. We look forward to welcoming the 25th Executive Board Chair intended for sub-Saharan Africa next month.”
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