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 …
Developing countries spent a record $443.5 billion to service their external public and publicly guaranteed debt in 2022. These costs shifted scarce resources away from health, education, environment and other critical areas, the World Bank’s latest International Debt Report showed. Debt-service payments, which include principal and interest, increased by 5 …
The Government of Nigeria avoided a fiscal cliff by implementing bold reforms, including ending the gasoline (premium motor spirit, PMS) subsidy, and shifting to a unified, market-reflective foreign exchange (FX) rate. These essential reforms entail painful adjustments. They have led to an increase of retail gasoline prices by an average …
The Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report (APTIR) is a biennial publication prepared by the Trade, Investment and Innovation Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific to provide insights into the impact of recent emerging developments in trade and foreign direct investment on countries’ …
The SDG Pulse is UNCTAD’s annual publication reporting on developments relating to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The purpose of this report is threefold: To provide an update on the evolution of a selection of official SDG indicators and complementary data and statistics. …
Migration will likely become increasingly important for Tunisia in terms of both inflows and outflows, given the demographic transition in both Tunisia and Europe. As such Tunisia can work (also with partner countries) to maximize the benefits of migration. As a country of mainly emigration, Tunisia could help strengthen the …
The Ethiopian economy relies predominantly on rainfed agriculture for income generation, export earnings, and rural livelihoods. However, the frequency and intensity of extreme ago-climatic events projected by climate scenarios suggest considerable and growing risks from climate change to the country’s agri-food systems and the overall economy. This study assesses the …
This study provides an overview of digital infrastructure in Africa and compares it with digital infrastructure in the rest of the world. The scope is limited to the components of digital infrastructure related to digital trade. In particular, the focus is internet infrastructure (notably, broadband infrastructure), data-related infrastructure (encompassing IXPs, …
Considering the importance of availability of labour force data at more frequent time intervals, National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) launched Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) in April 2017. The objective of PLFS is primarily twofold: To estimate the key employment and unemployment indicators (viz. Worker Population Ratio, Labour Force Participation …
Projections for Africa’s average real GDP growth for 2023 and 2024 have been revised downwards. Growth is now projected at 3.4% in 2023 and 3.8% in 2024. These growth rates are lower than predicted in the 2023 AEO launched in May by 0.6 percentage points and 0.5 percentage points, respectively. …
The theme of the 2023 Economic Report on Africa is “Building Africa’s Resilience to Global Economic Shocks.” The report focuses on the impact of multiple and recurring global shocks on African economies. It examines how these shocks impede Africa’s prospects of reaching the targets set in the Sustainable Development Goals …
The fourteenth edition of the South Africa Economic Update, Safety First: The Economic Cost of Crime in South Africa, discusses South Africa’s economic prospects and highlights the critical need to address the challenge of high crime, to reduce its adverse effects on the economy and society at large. South Africa's …
UNCTAD’s Least Developed Countries Report 2023 calls on the global community to urgently address the critical financial challenges faced by the world’s 46 most vulnerable nations. Multiple global crises, the climate emergency, growing debt burdens, dependence on commodities and declining foreign investments into LDCs have strained their finances, jeopardizing their …
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Department of Commerce, vide Notification F. No. K-43013(12)/1/2021-SEZ, dated November 7, 2023, notified amendment to the Special Economic Zones Rules, 2006, made under the authority of the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 (28 of 2005). The amendment is referred to as the “Special Economic …
Climate change and other environmental threats require urgent government action. This policy paper discusses how governments can use better regulation instruments (good regulatory practices, risk-based and agile approaches, regulatory delivery, international regulatory cooperation, economic regulators, and behavioural insights) to design, implement and evaluate efficient and effective regulations for the environment. …
This report — the Central African Republic’s (CAR’s) first ever poverty assessment — draws on unparalleled microdata to propose practical strategies for lifting Central Africans out of poverty. Against the backdrop of a wide range of development challenges — including persistent low growth, conflict and displacement, andthe increasing threats posed …
Climate change disproportionately impacts people living in poverty, threatening to plunge more than 130 million more people into extreme poverty by the end of this decade. In response, governments seek to align poverty alleviation efforts with climate adaptation and mitigation objectives, and are focusing on poor and vulnerable populations, particularly …
According to the Togo Economic Update released by the World Bank, trade openness and increased private investment mobilization will be key to unlocking Togo’s growth potential. Titled Unlocking Togo’s Growth Potential, the report begins with an analysis of the performance of Togo’s economy, which has been buffeted by multiple shocks …
Sierra Leone’s economy experienced overlapping setbacks during 2022, as external spillovers from the Russian invasion of Ukraine aggravated domestic macroeconomic vulnerabilities. This led to high levels of inflation, a substantially weaker currency, greater imbalances in public finances, and lower foreign exchange reserves. GDP growth slowed in 2022 (from 4.1 percent …
This edition of the Macro Poverty Outlooks periodical contains country-by-country forecasts and overviews for GDP, fiscal, debt and poverty indicators for the developing countries of the South Asia region. Macroeconomic indicators such as population, gross domestic product and gross domestic product per capita, and where available, other indicators such as …
Oil windfalls during the 2000s were largely squandered, with Sudan failing to build the foundations of a non-oil economy. As part of the sanctions, the country was designated as a state sponsor of terrorism (SST), which restricted foreign assistance and debt reduction, resulted in isolation from the global financial system, …
