MUSEVENI: We need IMF support for economic growth The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will support Uganda’s education and health sector plan to build houses for teachers and medical workers. The assurances were given by the visiting IMF Director Christine Lagarde in a meeting at State House Entebbe Friday with Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni. …
Read More »Economic growth Vs development
THE LAST WORD: By Andrew M. Mwenda Don’t judge Uganda by where it is but by the speed at which it is growing I have been arguing that Uganda’s economy has been growing at an impressive rate over the last 30 years. Many readers have written to me saying that …
Read More »IMF: Sri Lanka stabilising after bailout
Colombo, SRI LANKA | AFP | Sri Lanka’s economy has begun to stabilise after securing a $1.5 billion bailout earlier this year, but the island needs to build its dwindling foreign reserves, the IMF said Saturday. The Washington-based International Monetary Fund said it had just concluded its first review of …
Read More »Uganda’s economy sound, says IMF
The economy isn’t in such a bad shape as earlier thought, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said in its latest assessment. Speaking at the conclusion of a two-week’s 7th review of Uganda’s economic programme under the Policy Support Instrument (PSI), Axel Schimmelpfennig, the IMF Mission chief, said the country’s prospects …
Read More »IMF chief says Egypt in currency ‘crisis’
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | IMF chief Christine Lagarde said Thursday that Egypt is going through a currency “crisis,” suggesting a quick devaluation to tackle a widening gap between the official and black market rates. Egypt has been struggling to shore up its foreign currency reserves in the political and …
Read More »Africa and the myths of FDI
THE LAST WORD: By Andrew M. Mwenda Why foreign direct investment is overrated and why Africa needs to cultivate local businesses There is a fad in Africa. It is called Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Across our vast continent, foreign investors are the most treasured visitors. Practically every country is obsessed …
Read More »Protectionism a scourge? Maybe not in Africa
Washington, United States | AFP | World economic leaders gathered in Washington this week to defend globalization, delivering a single message in unison: Protectionism will not save you. But this glosses over the plight of Africa, which is sinking further into poverty despite years of free trade. According to the …
Read More »IMF: ‘Brain drain’ hits sub-Saharan Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Skilled workers are leaving sub-Saharan Africa in rapidly increasingly numbers, producing a “brain drain” that causes long-term social damage, the International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday. The IMF said that the number of sub-Saharan migrants living in developed countries could increase from about seven million …
Read More »IMF chief warns of weak growth, lure of protectionism
Chicago, United States | AFP | The head of the IMF on Wednesday renewed warnings against protectionism and trade restrictions, saying that the global economy risked prolonged low growth and that advanced economies faced painful inequality. Christine Lagarde, the International Monetary Fund’s managing director, said the current global recovery was …
Read More »IMF warns central banks could lose deflation fight
Washington, United States | AFP | The International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday that central banks are struggling to beat back deflationary forces and that governments need to spend to help them succeed. In a new assessment of global economic conditions, the IMF said many countries worldwide are battling disinflation …
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