By Peter OBIORA InvestAdvocate
Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-Global lender, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Government of Belgium on Monday signed a Framework Arrangement on capacity development.
“This agreement will lay the basis for an enhanced partnership aimed at strengthening economic institutions and improving economic outcomes of developing countries, in line with achieving sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction objectives, IMF said in statement.
Carla Grasso, IMF deputy managing director made the following statement: “We thank Belgium for its strong support to the IMF’s capacity development work. Our joint efforts have already produced important results in Belgium’s partner countries in Africa and elsewhere. We also appreciate Belgium’s role as a lead partner in the IMF’s online learning initiative, which has now benefited more than ten thousand people across the globe. With this framework arrangement, we look forward to further strengthening our partnership with Belgium on capacity development. In this context, we welcome Belgium’s participation in the Revenue Mobilization Trust Fund (RMTF), which further deepens its long-standing commitment to supporting better tax policy and administration.”
“The Government of Belgium is a proud partner of the IMF and looks forward to continuing our cooperation on capacity development, focusing on sustainable, inclusive economic growth and the rights-based approach to development. In line with the Addis Ababa Action Agenda that provides the financing framework for implementing the Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development, Belgium believes that an equitable and efficient mobilization of domestic revenue is key and essential for especially the least developed countries and countries in fragile situations, since this reduces their aid dependency and helps financing their recovery and human development. Hence our participation in the RMTF,” Honorable Alexander De Croo, deputy prime minister and minister for Development Cooperation, Digital Agenda, Telecommunication and Post, said.
