Sustainable Development, Sustainable Debt
This paper explores how to allow Sub-Saharan African countries to meet development needs while safeguarding debt sustainability
Abstract
This IMF Conference Paper highlights questions to be explored to allow Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries to meet their development needs while safeguarding debt sustainability. While development needs remain large in SSA countries, the financing space has narrowed in recent years. SSA countries have made significant socio-economic progress in the last two decades. Income per capita improved; poverty rates declined; education and health outcomes expanded. However, SSA countries are only about half-way to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The ability to finance development needs has become more constrained as public debt increased rapidly between 2011 and 2016, albeit stabilizing thereafter. In addition, official development assistance (ODA) has stagnated or even declined.
This work is part of the ‘Macroeconomics in Low-income countries’ programme
Citation
Gomez Gbedia Agou, Charles Amo-Yartey, Seung Mo Choi, Dominique Desruelle, Claire Gicquel, Trevor Lessard, Giovanni Melina, Shirin Nikaein Towfighian, Francine Nyankiye, Narayanan Raman, Ivohasina F. Razafimahefa, and Cemile Sancak. (2019) Sustainable Development, Sustainable Debt