Africa > Madagascar, Republic of

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International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
This paper presents Republic of Madagascar’s Request for an Arrangement under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and Cancellation of the Current Arrangement under the ECF and Request for an Arrangement under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). The RSF arrangement will underpin reforms to strengthen adaptation to climate change and resilience against natural disasters, support climate change mitigation efforts, enhance the protection of ecosystems, and create conditions for green private sector investment. Madagascar continues to face challenges, with economic growth easing in a context of weak fiscal performance and gradual reform progress. Going forward, climate change poses significant risks to Madagascar’s economy. The authorities are implementing measures to create fiscal space for much needed social spending and investment. These include medium-term revenue mobilization efforts through tax policy and revenue administration measures. Tackling climate change challenges will be critical for Madagascar’s medium-term macroeconomic resilience. The report suggests that the authorities should take full advantage of the support provided by the IMF and the World Bank through the Enhanced Cooperation Framework for Climate Action, and by other development partners to catalyze private climate financing.
International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
This paper focuses on Republic of Madagascar’s 2022 Article IV Consultation, Third Review under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement, and Requests for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria and Modification of Performance Criteria. Two years of pandemic and multiple climate shocks have aggravated Madagascar’s fragility. The outlook is highly uncertain with risks tilted to the downside. Madagascar continues to face risks associated with social fragility, weak state capacity, and climate shocks. While Madagascar’s economy rebounded faster than expected in 2021, growth is projected at 4.2 percent in 2022–2023. The authorities should further their efforts to enhance budget credibility and fiscal transparency. Recently adopted public financial management reforms are expected to contribute to better budget execution in 2023. Measures to enhance the legal framework for public procurement contracts would be welcome. Overall program performance is mixed. Despite some macroeconomic slippages, the implementation of structural reforms is gaining momentum. Improving governance and accelerating reforms to increase transparency and accountability are key to deliver higher and more inclusive growth.
International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
This paper focuses on Republic of Madagascar’s 2022 Article IV Consultation, Third Review under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement, and Requests for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criteria and Modification of Performance Criteria. Two years of pandemic and multiple climate shocks have aggravated Madagascar’s fragility. The outlook is highly uncertain with risks tilted to the downside. Madagascar continues to face risks associated with social fragility, weak state capacity, and climate shocks. While Madagascar’s economy rebounded faster than expected in 2021, growth is projected at 4.2 percent in 2022–2023. The authorities should further their efforts to enhance budget credibility and fiscal transparency. Recently adopted public financial management reforms are expected to contribute to better budget execution in 2023. Measures to enhance the legal framework for public procurement contracts would be welcome. Overall program performance is mixed. Despite some macroeconomic slippages, the implementation of structural reforms is gaining momentum. Improving governance and accelerating reforms to increase transparency and accountability are key to deliver higher and more inclusive growth.
International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
Madagascar continues to be severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. After a contraction of GDP estimated at 7.1 percent in 2020, the economic recovery has been sluggish, partly reflecting a delayed reopening of the economy. Postponement of some external budget support, following delays in structural reforms, will open a fiscal financing gap in 2022.
International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
Madagascar continues to be severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. After a contraction of GDP estimated at 7.1 percent in 2020, the economic recovery has been sluggish, partly reflecting a delayed reopening of the economy. Postponement of some external budget support, following delays in structural reforms, will open a fiscal financing gap in 2022.
International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Madagascar hard, reversing recent progress in per capita income and poverty reduction. GDP is estimated to have contracted by 4.2 percent in 2020. Two RCF disbursements approved on April 3 and July 30 (totaling 2.4 percent of GDP) helped close short-term financing gaps, supported mitigation measures, and contributed to catalyzing donor budget support. The authorities are seeking renewed Fund assistance to help the country face protracted balance of payment needs aggravated by the impact of the pandemic and support the authorities’ reform agenda summarized in the Plan Emergence Madagascar (PEM).
International Monetary Fund
This paper proposes a package of policy reforms and a funding strategy to ensure that the Fund has the capacity to respond flexibly to LICs’ needs during the pandemic and recovery. The key policy reforms proposed include: • raising the normal annual/cumulative limits on access to PRGT resources to 145/435 percent of quota, the same thresholds for normal access in the GRA; • eliminating the hard limits on exceptional access (EA) to PRGT resources for the poorest LICs, enabling them to obtain all financing on concessional terms if the EA criteria are met; • changes to the framework for blending concessional and non-concessional resources to make it more robust and less complex; • stronger safeguards to address concerns regarding debt sustainability and capacity to repay the Fund; and • retaining zero interest rates on PRGT loans, consistent with the established rules for setting these interest rates.
International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Madagascar hard, reversing recent progress in per capita income and poverty reduction. GDP is estimated to have contracted by 4.2 percent in 2020. Two RCF disbursements approved on April 3 and July 30 (totaling 2.4 percent of GDP) helped close short-term financing gaps, supported mitigation measures, and contributed to catalyzing donor budget support. The authorities are seeking renewed Fund assistance to help the country face protracted balance of payment needs aggravated by the impact of the pandemic and support the authorities’ reform agenda summarized in the Plan Emergence Madagascar (PEM).
International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
A further deterioration of the global environment and a deepening of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened the macroeconomic outlook significantly, with growth now projected to be negative in 2020. As a result, urgent balance of payments needs arising from the pandemic are now estimated at 4.2 percent of GDP (compared to 1.8 percent), and the authorities have requested an additional disbursement under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) of 50 percent of quota (SDR 122.2 million) under the “exogenous shock” window of the RCF. This follows Board approval on April 3, 2020 of the authorities’ request for 50 percent of quota, which took place before the annual access of the RCF was doubled to 100 percent of quota on April 6, 2020. This additional request, if approved, will bring total disbursements under the RCF to 100 percent of quota in 2020. The authorities have also requested temporary debt servicing relief under the G-20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative, supported by the G-20 and Paris Club.
International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
This paper presents 2019 Article IV Consultation with the Republic of Madagascar and its Sixth Review Under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) Arrangement. Madagascar’s performance under its economic program supported by the ECF arrangement has been broadly satisfactory with solid growth, moderate single digit inflation, and a robust external position. As a fragile, low-income country, Madagascar continues to face risks associated with weak implementation capacity, potential fiscal slippages, social fragility in a context of widespread poverty, and vulnerability to exogenous shocks including to terms of trade and natural disasters. Going forward, a commitment to strong policies and an ambitious agenda to complete outstanding structural reforms remains crucial to mitigate internal and external risks, strengthen macroeconomic stability, and achieve higher, sustainable, and inclusive growth. The authorities’ economic reform agenda summarized in the Plan Emergence Madagascar aims to raise economic growth through increased public and private investment, strengthening human capital, and improving governance. Creating additional fiscal space by further improving revenue mobilization through a medium-term tax revenue strategy, containing lower priority spending, and enhancing investment implementation capacity is essential for scaling-up priority investment and social spending in education, health, and housing.