Recession: IMF confirms Nigeria unable to meet recovery expectation

African economies are due to emerge from recession this year, but their recoveries remain fragile, according to the World Bank's Africa's Pulse report. Axel van Trotsenburg, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank, tells FRANCE 24 that rising inflation has led to more food insecurity across Africa. He wants the Covid-19 vaccine rollout to be accelerated in order to get 40 percent of the continent fully vaccinated by the end of the year.

African economies are due to emerge from recession this year, but their recoveries remain fragile, according to the World Bank's Africa's Pulse report. Axel van Trotsenburg, Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank, tells FRANCE 24 that rising inflation has led to more food insecurity across Africa. He wants the Covid-19 vaccine rollout to be accelerated in order to get 40 percent of the continent fully vaccinated by the end of the year.

The IMF's managing director faces allegations that during her previous stint at the World Bank, she pressured staff to alter data to benefit China.

The revision comes as the post-pandemic recovery falters in advanced economies, including the US and Germany. The IMF has kept its growth forecast for 2022 unchanged but has warned of "dangerous" divergent recoveries.

The new Lebanese government is to resume negotiations with the IMF after talks stalled 13 months ago. Success, however, is not guaranteed, warn some experts.

Have we already bungled the green recovery? One year on, post-pandemic plans to turbocharge energy transition with massive next-generation infrastructure investment are still on the rails, but have taken their knocks from fiscal hawks, vested interests and infighting over what it really takes to make the planet great again.

The French government's strong and swift response to the Covid-19 pandemic has won praise from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in its latest report. But the OECD is also warning of risks from debt and high public spending. For more, Stephen Carroll speaks to OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann.

Debt levels have increased as more sub-Saharan countries look towards borrowing. Zambia's debt now equals its total GDP, while Kenya may be speeding towards its own financial crisis.

Last weekend, the US was hit by a cluster of perhaps the most devastating tornadoes in its history. In Kentucky alone, more than 70 people are known to have been killed by the severe weather system, and deaths were also reported in Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee. US President Joe Biden, who has signed a disaster declaration for Kentucky, paid a visit to the region and called the situation there "an unimaginable tragedy". We take a closer look at the scale of the damage.

The International Monetary Fund's executive board has approved the extension of $115 million in debt relief to 25 eligible low-income countries from January 11 to April 13 next year in an effort to help them ride out pandemic-induced headwinds.

Why developing economies are being left behind in Covid-19 recovery

The International Monetary Fund has slashed its forecast for the global economic recovery, warning of "multiple challenges" including new variants of Covid-19, high inflation and ongoing disruption to global supply chains. Petya Koeva Brooks, Deputy Director of the IMF's Research Department, discusses the risks and policy challenges as the pandemic enters its third year.