The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
NITI Aayog and Mastercard released a report titled ‘Connected Commerce: Creating a Roadmap for a Digitally Inclusive Bharat’. The report identifies challenges in accelerating digital financial inclusion in India and provides recommendations for making digital services accessible to its 1.3 billion citizens. Based on five roundtable discussions held in October …
While increasing expenditures to 10 percent would help to spur agricultural development, data presented in this report for sub-Saharan Africa indicate that many countries have not yet reached the objective pledged in Maputo. Nevertheless, understanding how public money is spent has much to reveal. For that reason, this report analyses …
This report presents findings of a national-level, government-led analysis of interactions among targets that are part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Sri Lanka. The report was undertaken to support more coherent implementation of the country’s sustainable development agenda. The results provide input for priority setting across different parts …
This report released on May 5, 2021 by the Azim Premji University investigates how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted vulnerable households, whether the policy measures enacted thus far were effective, and what more can be done. Earnings of 230 million Indians fell below national minimum daily wage of during the first …
Global prospects remain highly uncertain one year into the pandemic. New virus mutations and the accumulating human toll raise concerns, even as growing vaccine coverage lifts sentiment. Economic recoveries are diverging across countries and sectors, reflecting variation in pandemic-induced disruptions and the extent of policy support. The outlook depends not …
This working paper examines the evidence relating to the relationship between finance and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa. It reviews the financial landscape, progress and gaps in its development since 2000. Although the region as a whole has made significant progress – including expansion of the banking system’s scale and …
Beyond the Gap: Placing Biodiversity Finance in the Global Economy, a joint effort between an international team of researchers and Third World Network, addresses two questions: how does the organisation of the global economy drive biodiversity loss, and how has existing biodiversity finance performed? Trade, investment and financial regulation (or …
Myanmar, a least developed country, has made significant achievements in poverty reduction over the last decade. Despite such achievements, analyses of available data prior to the COVID-19 pandemic show that millions of people in Myanmar had remained vulnerable and at risk of falling into poverty in the face of a …
The Bhutan Development Update (BDU) is published annually. It assesses recent economic and social developments, prospects, and policies in Bhutan. The BDU also provides an in-depth analysis of selected economic and policy issues. In this edition, the special section focuses on e-trade, outlining opportunities and challenges in harnessing digital trade …
This report presents economic prospects for developing Asia and the Pacific. It includes analysis of the impacts of school closures caused by the pandemic and a theme chapter on financing a green and inclusive recovery. Growth in 2021 is forecast to be strongest in East and South Asia, and more …
The year 2020 marked the end of the Fourth United Nations Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011−2020 or informally called the Istanbul Programme of Action. During that year, the world encountered an unprecedented global pandemic which significantly affected the Asia-Pacific least developed countries (LDCs). …
Drawing on a representative survey of firms in 38 countries, eight of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa, this paper documents the impact of COVID-19 and firms’ coping strategies in Sub-Saharan Africa, benchmarking with other regions. The paper shows that the impact of the pandemic is more pronounced in Sub-Saharan Africa …
The main objective of the study was to develop a framework for designing and implementing local content policies in Ethiopia driven by the mining sector. The Ethiopian government’s vision is to transform the country into a lower middle income industrial economy by 2025. To achieve this, the economy would need …
Prior to 1 February 2021, 2.8 million people were considered food insecure in Myanmar. WFP estimates that 1.5 to 3.4 million additional people could be at risk of food insecurity and in need of assistance due to the economic slowdown provoked by the political crisis in the coming three to …
Circular solutions can be used by African countries to attain vital climate action targets and sustainable development goals. With this in mind, the African Circular Economy Alliance (ACEA) was launched to spur the continent’s transition to a circular economy that delivers economic growth, jobs and positive environmental outcomes. Putting in …
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Making Finance Work for Africa Partnership (MFW4A) released on 15 April 2021 the African Trade Finance Survey Report which provides a better understanding of the trade finance landscape across …
What are the effects of a large temporary shock to the economy such as a temporary lockdown in response to a pandemic? Are the effects propagated and made persistent by firms’ deteriorating balance sheets and labor market frictions? This paper develops a model with financial market and labor market frictions …
The circular economy is now at the forefront of the competitiveness agenda for various industrial sectors, industrial parks, and firms. This report intends to provide practical recommendations on how industrial parks can promote the circularity of resources and strengthen competitiveness through innovative technologies and business models, and what governments can …
Agriculture plays a central role in Bangladesh’s economy, especially in rural areas, and further progress in agriculture will remain important as Bangladesh’s economy continues to evolve. Bangladesh has made significant agricultural policy reforms since the 1980s, which has largely contributed to achieving self-sufficiency in rice production. However, these policies are …
This report examines how the OECD-led global digital tax reforms could lead to lost mining investment and revenue in developing countries if issues related to temporary timing differences are not addressed. This report follows a broader IGF briefing note on the implications for the mining sector of the latest blueprints …
