IMF Podcasts

Dans ce podcast, Randa Filfili, directrice générale de l'entreprise sénégalaise Zena Exotic Fruits raconte pourquoi les petites et moyennes entreprises africaines ont souvent du mal à survivre, et les défis auxquels font face les femmes entrepreneurs. Filfili était de passage à Washington pour participer dans le séminaire intitule, Comment renouer avec une croissance vigoureuse en Afrique subsaharienne dans le cadre des Réunions de Printemps du FMI et du groupe Banque Mondiale. Randa Filfili, directrice générale de l'entreprise sénégalaise Zena Exotic Fruits.

Only a third of adults in sub-Saharan Africa have a bank account, and in this podcast, Tanzania Bank Governor, Benno Ndulu, says the lack of access to financial services is a key constraint on the region's economic growth. Ndulu is a champion for bringing financial services to the poorest segments of society and as the current Chair of the Board of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion, he has helped pioneer some of the most innovative policy approaches to extending the financial system to the unbanked. This conversation with Benno Ndulu is featured in the September 2017 issue of Finance and Development Magazine. Contributors: Benno Ndulu, Bank of Tanzania Governor, and Chair of the Board of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion.

While Africa's workforce expands, the lack of modern and efficient infrastructure is inhibiting economic growth. The prospect of building power plants and transportation networks is daunting for many countries with limited resources, but in this podcast, former Chief Economist of the African Development Bank, Mthuli Ncube, says reducing risks for private sector investors could help Africa build the infrastructure it so desperately needs. Contributors: Mthuli Ncube, Managing Director of Quantum Global Research Lab, visiting professor at Oxford University, and co-editor of Infrastructure in Africa: Lessons for Future Development.

Extreme weather has hit Malawi's economy hard over the last two years. Severe flooding followed by a drought—the worst in its history—caused widespread crop failure and placed 6.7 million people at risk of starvation. But a remarkable humanitarian effort helped reduce the impact of the drought on the most vulnerable segment of the population. An increase by the IMF to the amount of resources it provides to Malawi, as well as sizable contributions from Malawi's development partners like the World Food Program and the World Bank, enabled the country to address the worst humanitarian crisis in its history. In this feature podcast, we hear from the small-scale farmers beset by the effects of climate change, beneficiaries of food aid including school children, and key players within the various agencies who were faced with making tough decisions in the throes of a major food crisis. Contributors: Oral Williams: IMF Mission Chief for Malawi Jack Ree: IMF Resident Representative in Malawi Goodall Gondwe: Malawi's Finance Minister Ben Botolo: Malawi's Secretary to the Treasury Coco Ushiyama: World Food Program Representative for Malawi Roisin DeBurca: Unicef's Deputy Director for Malawi Laura Kullenberg: Country Manager for the World Bank in Malawi Richard Record: Senior Country Economist for the World Bank in Malawi

Eswar Prasad, Professor of Trade Policy at Cornell and Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, discusses the complex journey of the renminbi as it vies for global prominence. He highlights the historical milestones in China's currency and the challenges it faces without crucial domestic reforms. Delving into the renminbi's role since its IMF inclusion in 2016, Prasad examines the effects of China's closed capital account and the hurdles in communication faced by its central bank. Ultimately, he questions whether the currency's growth reflects real economic strength or strategic ambitions.

Drought, regional conflict, and slow credit growth are taking their toll on Uganda's economy. While per-capita growth has hovered around 5 percent for the last 20 years, the IMFs latest economic assessment shows it has fallen to 1/2 percent. In this podcast, the report's coauthor Axel Schimmelpfennig, says some strategic infrastructure investment and Uganda's untapped oil reserves could help turn things around. Contributors: Axel Schimmelpfennig, IMF Mission Chief for Uganda

By 2035 sub-Saharan Africa will have more working-age people than the rest of the world's regions combined. This growing workforce bulge will have to be met with jobs, but the region remains one of the toughest places to do business. Meanwhile, small-unregistered household businesses provide up to 90 percent of jobs outside of agriculture. The IMF's latest Regional Economic Outlook for sub-Saharan Africa devotes an entire chapter on the informal economy, and in this podcast we speak with economist Ali Mansoor, coauthor of the study. Contributors: Ali Mansoor, IMF Division Chief for West Africa, and coauthor of the report.

More than two billion people worldwide are without bank accounts, and only one in three adults in sub-Saharan Africa have access to any type of financial services. But Tayo Oviosu, Founder of Nigeria's leading mobile payment platform says financial technology—or fintech, is making access to finance possible for millions of un-banked Nigerians. Tayo Oviosu, Founder and CEO of Paga, Nigeria's mobile payment platform. Watch webcast of IMF World-Bank Spring meetings panel on Digital Financial Inclusion

While science and technology propel us into the future at what some would describe as breakneck speed, Oxford University's Ian Goldin says we should draw from the past because we've been here before. In this podcast, Goldin compares the social division, political extremism and insecurity of the first Age of Discovery in the 15th Century, with what is happening today. Contributors: Ian Goldin, founding director of the Oxford Martin School, and Professor of Globalization and Development at Oxford University.

While millions of young people enter the labor market every year, the chance of landing a traditional full-time job with benefits are getting slim. Global youth unemployment is on the rise and many young people are opting to work in what's known as the sharing economy. In this podcast, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde shares her thoughts about policies that might help today's youth better adapt to the changing nature of work. Read Christine Lagarde's Straight Talk about millennials and the future of work, in the June 2017 edition of Finance and Development magazine. Contributors: Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director