This paper discusses key findings of the 2004 Status Report on Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) for Niger. The report assesses economic and financial performance, as well as progress in implementing sectoral policies and strategies in 2004. Analysis of the economic and financial situation in 2004 confirms the vulnerability of Niger’s economy to the vagaries of the weather, as reflected in a fluctuating rate of economic growth. The growth rate in 2004 was -0.6 percent, versus 3.8 percent in 2003, owing to a drop in agricultural output.
This paper reviews the Progress Report for Guinea’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). Several measures were taken at the institutional, technical, and human levels to improve the mobilization of fiscal resources. In the monetary area, the government continued to use indirect instruments to control liquidity: reserve requirements, open market operations, treasury bills, and lead interest rates. In the area of transportation and public works, priority was given to road transport by opening up access to production areas, improving the conditions of passenger transport, and strengthening the competitiveness of the national economy.