OREANDA-NEWS. January 29, 2016. Mr. Min Zhu, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will visit Botswana and Ghana from January 26 to February 2, 2016, to participate in regional conferences jointly organized with the IMF and engage with policy makers and other stakeholders. The visit to both countries will also provide an opportunity to strengthen the Fund’s engagement with both countries.

Mr. Zhu will arrive in Botswana on January 26 and will meet with President Ian Khama, senior government officials, and representatives of civil society and the private sector. Mr. Zhu will deliver a keynote speech in Gaborone at a regional conference on Small and Middle-Income Countries (SMICs). Participants will include central bank governors, ministers and other senior officials from a number of countries.

“The conference will speak to the main challenges that SMICs in sub-Saharan Africa are faced with, and the policies required to confront the challenges effectively in order to facilitate their transition to high-income status,” Mr. Zhu said.

From January 31 to February 2, Mr. Zhu will be in Accra where he will meet with President John Mahama and other senior leaders, along with business leaders, economists, and representatives of civil society. He also will deliver a keynote speech at a conference on the value of Enhanced Data for Better Macro-Policies in Africa. Participants will include senior officials from central banks and ministries of finance, national statistics officers and academics.

“I look forward to productive meetings with President Mahama and his colleagues as they address important economic challenges, most importantly how to restore macroeconomic stability,” Mr. Zhu said ahead of his trip. “As is highlighted in the on-going satisfactory performance of Ghana’s Extended Credit Facility-supported program, the country is working hard to address fiscal and external imbalances, improve its business environment, and promote opportunities for growth all of which is key to the recovery of the country’s efforts to create jobs and kick-start growth”.