Washington, United States | AFP | The International Monetary Fund on Friday released an additional $257 million in funds for Tunisia as part of its four-year, $3 billion loan agreement. The IMF board approved the second review of the country’s economic performance under the financial aid package that was initially …
Read More »IMF chief warns ‘no winners’ in trade wars
Buenos Aires, Argentina | AFP | International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde cautioned the United States against putting up barriers to trade in an interview published Sunday. “Trade wars leave no winners,” she said in the interview with Argentine daily La Nacion, responding to a question about President Donald Trump’s …
Read More »IMF chief warns trade war will harm global growth
Paris, France | AFP | The head of the International Monetary Fund warned Wednesday that a trade war US President Donald Trump apparently intends to provoke with tariffs on steel and aluminium would snuff out global growth. “If international trade is called into question by these types of measures, it …
Read More »Bad economy pushes Kasaija, Muhakanizi in tight corner
Finance under attack over Shs.750 bn fresh borrowing, faces tough IMF Kampala, Uganda | HAGGAI MATSIKO | Matia Kasaija and his team at the Finance Ministry find themselves in a very tight corner as they look for Shs29.2 trillion to finance a new budget. Previously, finding cash did not present …
Read More »Kenya plans to repeal rate cap law
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kenya’s Treasury Secretary, Henry Rotich, has indicated plans to repeal the rate cap law as part of the contentious reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund to extend a frozen Kshs 153bn emergency standby facility that expires this month. The facility, which is designed …
Read More »IMF’s Lagarde warns on rate risk from US tax reform
Paris, France | AFP | IMF chief Christine Lagarde warned Saturday that economic stimulus from US tax cuts may lead to a rapid rise in interest rates which would weigh on countries with high debt levels. The International Monetary Fund was going to be “attentive” to the consequences of the …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Africa’s new man at IMF
Top job for South African Lesetja Kganyago gives African countries sway Kampala, Uganda | DANNY BRADLOW | South Africa’s Reserve Bank Governor, Lesetja Kganyago, has been selected as the first sub-Saharan African to serve as chair of the International Monetary and Finance Committee. The chair is appointed by consensus. The three-year …
Read More »IMF chief urges Arab states to slash spending
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | IMF chief Christine Lagarde on Saturday urged Arab countries to slash public wages and subsidies in order to rein in spending, achieve sustainable growth and create jobs. Speaking at the one-day Arab Fiscal Forum in Dubai, Lagarde welcomed “promising” reforms adopted by some …
Read More »IMF head warns of public frustration in Middle East, North Africa
Marrakesh, Morocco | AFP | IMF chief Christine Lagarde warned Tuesday that “public dissatisfaction is bubbling up” in the Middle East and North Africa, calling for reforms that “respond faster to the expectations and sometimes to the frustration of the people”. Speaking at a conference in Morocco’s Marrakesh, the head of …
Read More »IMF invites Arab nations to tackle public ‘frustration’
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | The International Monetary Fund is holding a two-day regional conference from Monday in Morocco with a message of reform amid growing “frustration” among the population of some Arab states. “Rising social tensions and protests in several countries across the Middle East and North Africa are …
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