Posted on April 7, 2016 by iMFdirect

By Carla Grasso

If there’s one thing all economists can agree on, it’s the importance of numbers. Without good data, it is difficult to assess how an economy is performing and formulate smart policies that help improve lives.

In little over twenty years, the southern African country of Mozambique has gone from having no national accounts or consumer price index to creating one of the leading statistical agencies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

I saw firsthand Mozambique’s progress in collecting data on my recent trip to Africa. It was my first trip there as an official representative of the IMF. I met with Isaltina Lucas, the then-President of Mozambique’s Institute of Statistics (and now Vice-Minister of Economy and Finance), who told me about the government’s impressive strides in compiling key economic statistics—thanks, in part, to the IMF.

Over the course of my 10-day visit in early March, I saw many more instances of how IMF technical assistance and training—which together we call “capacity development”—is helping policymakers in sub-Saharan Africa take charge of their own economic future.

Tapping the experience of peers

In Tanzania, for example, I witnessed a workshop organized jointly by the IMF and the central bank, where officials from across the region discussed their own countries’ experiences with expanding access to finance and exchanged views on how to deal with financial vulnerabilities that are emerging as a result. Many participants emphasized the importance of this type of experience-sharing—known as “peer-to-peer learning”—in building capacity.

We are hearing more and more that the knowledge-sharing that takes place outside formal courses is important for capacity development. So we have been exploring ways to cultivate peer learning and support, both in person and online. Through such platforms, policymakers facing similar challenges can not only learn from each other but also set common policy goals.

Such efforts are beginning to bear fruit.  Take, for example, Senegal, which is successfully using peer learning to implement its new development strategy with the goal of becoming an emerging market economy within the next two decades. Senegal is drawing on the experience of policymakers in Cape Verde, Mauritius, and Seychelles to introduce tax identification numbers, set up credit information bureaus, and develop tourism and special economic zones.

Click to read full article “Capacity Development in Africa: the Faces behind the Numbers”

Culled—— iMFdirect

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By InvestAdvocate

Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-World’s leading mail and logistics company, Deutsche Post DHL Group and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office in Mauritius on Monday announced it will conduct a disaster preparedness program, Get Airports Ready for Disaster (GARD) from February 15 to 18 at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport in Mauritius.

“The workshop, developed by Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL Group) and UNDP aims to better prepare the airports to handle the surge of incoming relief goods, should a major natural disaster strike,” DHL said in an emailed statement made available by African Press Organisation.

According to the global mail and logistics firm, Mauritius is prone to natural disasters and in particular to cyclones. “As such, it is imperative that plans be developed to enable the airport to be able to support natural disaster management response,” DHL added.

It affirmed the workshop will bring together representatives of all aspects of airport operations, which include, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center, the Red Cross, United Nations agencies as well as representatives of civil aviation authorities from Seychelles and Reunion Island.

“This important workshop will be the first of its kind to be held in Africa and the first for a small island state and will build upon the support of the UNDP in Mauritius in supporting Disaster Management and Disaster Risk reduction,” Simon Springett, United Nations Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and the UNDP Resident Representative said.

Chris Weeks, Director of Humanitarian Affairs at Deutsche Post DHL Group, said, “The GARD workshop allows us to work with authorities to increase the surge capacity of airports after natural disasters. It also helps to improve the overall coordination across various organizations involved in relief efforts when a disaster hits. Using our logistics expertise and the partnership with UNDP, we have together completed 30 GARD workshops and trained 600 people at airports around the world.”

Rahman Bholah, Country Manager, DHL Mauritius, said, “During natural calamities, the Airport becomes the center for international support after a natural disaster has hit. The GARD program is coordinated jointly with the national stakeholders – from airport authorities to emergency services such as the special mobile force, police helicopter squadron as well as the security manager. It is therefore vital to prepare all relevant stakeholders to be able to work hand in hand in this situation and to develop a contingency plan that will respond well to an emergency and its potential humanitarian impact”.

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February 12, 2016/AfDB

The African Development Bank has launched the first Africa Visa Openness Index, which shows how Africa remains largely closed off to African travellers. On average Africans need visas to travel to 55% of other African countries, can get visas on arrival in only 25% of other countries and don’t need a visa to travel to just 20% of other countries on the continent.

The findings of the Visa Openness Index, which has been developed in partnership with McKinsey & Company and the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Agenda Council on Africa, will be presented and discussed at the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan on 21-22 March 2016.

“Opening up a country’s visa regime is a quick-win on development that remains untapped,” says Moono Mupotola, Director of NEPAD, Regional Integration and Trade at the African Development Bank. “Visa openness promotes talent mobility and business opportunities. Africa’s leaders and policymakers have a key role to play in helping Africans to move freely in support of Agenda 2063’s call to abolish visa requirements for all Africans by 2018.”

The report highlights regional and geographical differences. Currently, 75% of countries in the top 20 most visa-open countries on the continent are in West Africa or East Africa. Only one country in the top 20 is in North Africa and there are none in the top 20 from Central Africa. The report also shows that Africa’s Middle Income Countries have low visa-openness scores overall, while the continent’s smaller, landlocked and island states are more open.

“When we started this work, only 5 African countries offered liberal access to all Africans; this number has grown to 13 over the past three years. We are making progress, but need to accelerate the pace” says Acha Leke, Director of McKinsey & Company and member of the WEF Global Agenda Council on Africa.

African countries stand to gain from promoting more visa-free regional blocs and pushing for greater reciprocity, as well as from introducing more visa on arrival policies for Africans. At country level, Seychelles is ranked number one in Africa for its visa openness policy, offering visa-free access for all Africans. Mauritius and Rwanda, who are in the top 10 most visa-open countries, have adopted open visa policies for visitors from other African countries and have seen a big impact on tourism, investment and economic competitiveness as a result.

Follow up events on promoting greater visa openness in Africa will be held during the WEF Africa Summit in Kigali and the African Development Bank Annual Meetings in Lusaka.

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