First Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Extended Credit Facility and Request for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criterion— Informational Annex
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Economic recovery has gained momentum, and short-term prospects have improved. Program implementation is good. Fiscal consolidation is essential for Burkina Faso’s macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability. Structural reforms remain focused on a few priority areas supporting growth and macroeconomic stability. Terms-of-trade and weather-related shocks are the main risks to the economic outlook. Executive Directors commend the government for their commitment to sound policies and encourage them to proceed with the reform agenda. The government also needs to sustain revenue mobilization to improve fiscal sustainability.

Abstract

Economic recovery has gained momentum, and short-term prospects have improved. Program implementation is good. Fiscal consolidation is essential for Burkina Faso’s macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability. Structural reforms remain focused on a few priority areas supporting growth and macroeconomic stability. Terms-of-trade and weather-related shocks are the main risks to the economic outlook. Executive Directors commend the government for their commitment to sound policies and encourage them to proceed with the reform agenda. The government also needs to sustain revenue mobilization to improve fiscal sustainability.

I. Relations with the Fund

(As at October 30, 2010)

I. Membership Status: Joined: May 02, 1963; Article VIII

II. General Resources Account:

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III. SDR Department:

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Iv. outstanding Purchases and Loans:

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v. Latest Financial Arrangements:

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VI. Projected Payments to Fund1/(SDR Million; based on existing use of resources and present holdings of SDRs):

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VII. Implementation of HIPC Initiative:

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Assistance committed under the original framework is expressed in net present value (NPV) terms at the completion point, and assistance committed under the enhanced framework is expressed in NPV terms at the decision point. Hence these two amounts cannot be added.

Under the enhanced framework, an additional disbursement is made at the completion point corresponding to interest income earned on the amount committed at the decision point but not disbursed during the interim period

VIII. Implementation of Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI):

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The MDRI provides 100 percent debt relief to eligible member countries that qualified for the assistance. Grant assistance from the MDRI Trust and HIPC resources provide debt relief to cover the full stock of debt owed to the Fund as of end-2004 that remains outstanding at the time the member qualifies for such debt relief.

IX. Implementation of Post-Catastrophe Debt Relief (PCDR): Not Applicable

X. Safeguards Assessments:

The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) is a common central bank of the countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAMU). The most recent safeguards assessment of the BCEAO was completed on March 1, 2010. The 2010 update assessment found that the BCEAO continues to have controls in place at the operational level. The overall governance framework should nonetheless be strengthened by the addition of an audit committee to ensure that the Board of Directors exercises appropriate oversight over the control structure, including the audit mechanisms and financial statements. The Institutional Reform of the WAMU and the BCEAO, completed after the approval of the safeguards report, stipulated the creation of the Audit Committee, which should now start working. Efforts to implement fully the International Financial Reporting Standards reporting framework should also be pursued.

XI. Exchange Rate Arrangement:

Burkina Faso is a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and has no separate legal tender. The union’s common currency, the CFA franc, is pegged to the euro at a rate of CFAF 655.957 = EUR 1, consistent with the official conversions rate of the French franc to the Euro and the previous fixed rate of the CFA franc to the French franc of CFAF 100= F 1. On November 1st, 2010, the rate of the CFA franc in terms of SDR was CFAF 743.01 = SDR 1.0. Effective January 1, 2007, the exchange arrangement of the WAEMU countries has been reclassified to the category of conventional pegged arrangement from the category of exchange arrangement with no separate legal tender. The new classification is based on the behavior of the common currency, whereas the previous classification was based on the lack of a separate legal tender. The new classification thus only reflects a definitional change, and is not based on a judgment that there has been a substantive change in the exchange regime or other policies of the currency union or its member. The exchange system is free of restrictions on the making of payments and transfers on current international transactions.

XII. Article IV Consultations:

The periodicity of Burkina Faso’s Article IV consultation is set in accordance with the July 15, 2002 Executive Board Decision on consultation cycles. Discussions on the 2009 Article IV consultation and fifth review under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) were held during the period September 17–October 4, 2009 in Ouagadougou. The staff report was considered by the Executive Board on December 14th, 2009. The next Article IV consultation is scheduled for September 2011.

XIII. ROSC/AAP:

An FAD mission visited Ouagadougou during May 7–18, 2001 to assist the authorities undertake a draft fiscal module of a Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC). The final report, which was issued in July 2002, found that Burkina Faso was making good progress in a number of areas to increase the transparency and accountability of government. Additional efforts are needed to bring a number of improvements to the point of implementation, particularly with regard to expenditure tracking at the local level and external audit functions. Initial discussions indicated that the authorities broadly concurred with the mission assessment. On July 31, 2002, the authorities formally adopted an action plan based on the recommendations of the final ROSC.

An STA mission during May 8–21, 2003 assisted the authorities in preparing a data ROSC. The report was published in March 2004. The mission found that most of the methodologies used in the compilation of macroeconomic statistics are in broad conformity with internationally accepted guidelines. However, most datasets are affected by limited or impaired source data arising from irregularity in the conduct of surveys (national accounts), use of outdated weights (CPI), or low response rate to surveys (balance of payments). For CPI and government finance statistics, data dissemination meets the SDDS requirement, but for other macroeconomic datasets, timeliness falls short of GDDS recommendations. The authorities broadly concurred with the main findings of the mission as well as the recommendations made to address them.

The team, jointly with World Bank staff, also discussed a HIPC Initiative Assessment and Action Plan (AAP) with the authorities. The aim was to assess the capacity of the public expenditure management system to track poverty-reducing public expenditures under the HIPC Initiative and the need for technical assistance to enhance that capacity. The mission secured the officials’ approval of the jointly prepared preliminary assessment; identified the main needs for technical assistance on upgrading the capacity to track such expenditures; and drew up a draft outline action plan. This plan identifies the main needs for further technical assistance to improve tracking of poverty-reducing expenditures. The AAP has been endorsed by the authorities.

XIV. Technical Assistance:

Significant technical assistance has been provided since 1989, more recently especially in the fiscal area:

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XV. Resident Representative:

Ms. Isabell Adenauer took up the post of Resident Representative in June 2008.

II. Joint Management Action Plan (JMAP) Implementation

IMF and World Bank

Joint Management Action Plan (June 2010)

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III. Statistical Issues

Burkina Faso—Statistical Issues Appendix

(As of November 17, 2010)

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Burkina Faso: Table of Common Indicators Required for Surveillance (November 2010)

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Source: Guernsey Financial Services Commission

Any reserve assets that are pledged or otherwise encumbered should be specified separately. Also, data should comprise short-term liabilities linked to a foreign currency but settled by other means as well as the notional values of financial derivatives to pay and to receive foreign currency, including those linked to a foreign currency but settled by other means.

Both market-based and officially-determined, including discount rates, money market rates, rates on treasury bills, notes and bonds.

Foreign, domestic bank, and domestic nonbank financing.

The general government consists of the central government (budgetary funds, extra budgetary funds, and social security funds) and state and local governments.

Including currency and maturity composition.

Includes external gross financial asset and liability positions vis-à-vis nonresidents.

Daily (D); weekly (W); monthly (M); quarterly (Q); annually (A); irregular (I); and not available (NA).

These columns should only be included for countries for which Data ROSC (or a Substantive Update) has been published.

Reflects the assessment provided in the data ROSC or the Substantive Update (published on March 10, 2004, and based on the findings of the mission that took place during May 8-21, 2003) for the dataset corresponding to the variable in each row. The assessment indicates whether international standards concerning concepts and definitions, scope, classification/sectorization, and basis for recording, respectively, are fully observed (O); largely observed (LO); largely not observed (LNO); not observed (NO); and not available (NA).

Same as footnote 9, except referring to international standards concerning, respectively, source data, assessment of source data, statistical techniques, assessment and validation of intermediate data and statistical outputs, and revision studies.

1

When a member has overdue financial obligations outstanding for more than three months, the amount of such arrears will be shown in this section.

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Burkina Faso: First Review Under the Three-Year Arrangement Under the Extended Credit Facility and Request for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criterion-Staff Report; Press Release on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for Burkina Faso
Author:
International Monetary Fund