Luanda - An Angolan delegation led by Finance Minister Vera Daves has been taking part since Monday in the annual high-level joint meetings of the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Marrakech (Morocco).
The Angolan delegation includes the Minister of Economy and Planning, Mário Caetano João, and the governor of the National Bank of Angola (BNA), Manuel Dias.
At the meetings, the IMF and the World Bank are expected to present a downward revision of growth for the continent, according to Angolan Daily Newspaper (Jornal de Angola). The meetings mark the IMF and the World Bank return to Africa after meetings in Kenya in 1973.
The World Bank has already presented its growth estimate for the region, which slows to 2.5 per cent this year, after growth of 4.8 per cent in 2021 and 3.8 per cent last year.
At this meeting, the main news for the two global financial institutions could be in the distribution of quotas, modified in favour of low-income or emerging countries, which would increase their chances of taking out larger loans, writes the French news agency, France-Presse (AFP), stressing that the discussions are unlikely to have any practical results next week.
Today’s session was also marked by a session on African businesswomen and another on Guinea-Bissau and how to improve the management of spending on civil servants through the use of the "blockchain", i.e. a database that links various departments and is accessible in real time.
The report on the World Economic Outlook was also launched, as was the presentation of the document on Global Financial Stability and the fight against poverty.
On Tuesday, Guinea-Bissau will, once again, be analysed, with a debate on the digitalisation of public administration management in that African country.
The official opening of the World Bank Meetings, with a press conference by President Ajay Banga, is also reserved for the meetings that will run until next Friday, with a debate on over-indebtedness in the most disadvantaged countries.
Debt issues will also be on the agenda, with a debate that, in addition to the leaders of the IMF and WB, will also be attended by the finance minister of Zambia, the first African country to go into financial default following the pandemic and to request a debt restructuring more than two years ago, in a process that is still ongoing.
On Friday, the last day of the event, regional reports on the European and African economies will be presented, and Angola's Finance Minister will take part in a debate on building economic resilience and the challenges for emerging markets. CLAU/AC/DAN/DOJ
