The IMF effectively acts as a lender of last resort. Consequently, governments are reluctant to ask for IMF financing unless they cannot get enough foreign exchange from other sources
The allocation of special drawing rights is based on the size of a country’s economy, which means the richest countries on the African continent will get the lion’s share
To deal with climate change, central banks may have to encourage financial institutions to favour certain types of activities over others
Initiatives to boost South Africa’s economy could reinforce structural weaknesses without addressing the high levels of inequality
After meeting annually for the last nine years there’s no sign that the old order has been challenged.
The 2008 financial crisis exposed major gaps in central banks’ operations. New features like quantitative easing have since emerged.
Although other sources of funds are growing in importance, the World Bank will remain an important and controversial actor in Africa.