UG Spring 2018 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa

UG Spring 2018 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa

Spring 2018 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa

Domestic Revenue Mobilization and Private Investment (implications for Ghana)

Wednesday, May 9, 2018

10:00 a.m.-12:50 p.m.

 ISSER Conference Facility, University of Ghana, Legon

 
 
Sub-Saharan Africa is set to enjoy modest economic recovery, driven largely by a more supportive external environment. However, public debt and financial systems vulnerabilities are rising and medium-term per capita growth is expected to plateau at just 1 percent a year on average. Turning the current recovery into durable growth calls for domestic policies to reduce vulnerabilities and raise medium-term growth potential. Sustained fiscal discipline anchored in stronger domestic revenue mobilization to provide fiscal space for needed investments in physical and human capital and structural policies to reduce market distortions and foster private investment are all key elements of such a strategy to promote growth.
 
Presenters:     Papa M Bagnick N’Diaye, Division Chief, Regional Studies Division, AFR, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
 
Annalisa Fedelino, Mission Chief for Ghana, Assistant Director, AFR, IMF
 
Jesus Gonzalez-Garcia, Senior Economist, Regional Studies Division, AFR, IMF
 
Moderator:    Prof. Felix A. Asante, Director, ISSER, University of Ghana
 
Discussants:   Prof. Godfred A. Bokpin, Head, Department of Finance, University of Ghana Business School, University of Ghana
 
Prof. Peter Quartey, Head, Department of Economics, University of Ghana
 
 
Program
 
10:00 a.m.    Registration
 
10:30 a.m.    Opening remarks
Natalia Koliadina, IMF Resident Representative
 
10:35 a.m.   Address by the Vice Chancellor
Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana
 
10:45 a.m.    Regional Economic Outlook—Presentations:
 
“Slow Recovery amid Growing Challenges”
Papa M Bagnick N’Diaye, Division Chief, Regional Studies Division
 
“Domestic Revenue Mobilization in Sub-Saharan Africa: Can More Be Done?”
Annalisa Fedelino, Mission Chief for Ghana
 
“Private Investment to Rejuvenate Growth”
Jesus Gonzalez-Garcia, Senior Economist, Regional Studies Division
 
11:30 a.m.       Panel discussion
 
11:50 a.m.       Questions and answers
 
12:15 p.m.      Closing Remarks
Prof. Felix A. Asante, Director, ISSER
 
12:20 p.m.      Refreshments
 
 

Biographical Information

 

Annalisa Fedelino

Mission Chief for Ghana

Annalisa Fedelino has been working as a Mission Chief for Ghana since 2017. She is also a Division Chief of Western III division in AFR. Prior to joining AFR, she was the Mission Chief for Lebanon and Assistant Director at the Middle East and Central Asia Department. She also worked in the Budget Office and the Fiscal Affairs Department. A national of Italy, Ms. Fedelino has over twenty years of IMF experience. Ms. Fedelino holds PhD in economics from the European University Institute.

Papa M Bagnick N’Diaye

Division Chief

Papa N’Diaye is the Division Chief of the Regional Studies division. Prior to that he worked for the Strategy and Policy Review Department of the IMF. Mr. N’Diaye worked on China, Japan, and Malaysia. He studied at Sorbonne University, specializing in macroeconomics and econometrics, and taught macroeconomics to undergraduate students at Dauphine University. Mr. N’Diaye has numerous publications on monetary policy, asset prices, macroprudential policies, fiscal policy, and rebalancing growth in China.

Jesus Rodrigo Gonzalez-Garcia

Senior Economist. AFR

Jesus Gonzalez-Garcia is a senior economist in the Regional Studies Division, African Department, IMF. Previously, he was in the IMF’s Western Hemisphere Department, where he worked as a desk economist for several Caribbean economies and the Dominican Republic. His research focuses on applied econometrics, including the identification of regime shifts in time series models, forecasting, models for inflation targeting, growth spells, and fiscal multipliers. Before joining the IMF, he worked for 15 years for the Mexican central bank. He holds PhD from the University of Warwick, the United Kingdom.