{"id":37461,"date":"2026-06-18T17:34:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:34:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/?post_type=news&#038;p=37461"},"modified":"2026-06-18T17:34:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:34:06","slug":"imf-urges-madagascar-to-strengthen-fiscal-data-systems-for-better-economic-management","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/news\/imf-urges-madagascar-to-strengthen-fiscal-data-systems-for-better-economic-management\/","title":{"rendered":"IMF urges Madagascar to strengthen fiscal data systems for better economic management"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The recommendation follows an IMF technical mission to Antananarivo in March, which focused on enhancing the country\u2019s public finance statistics as a foundation for effective economic management.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The IMF said reliable and comprehensive fiscal data is essential for monitoring government performance and supporting informed decision-making.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>While Madagascar has made progress, including adopting a new legal framework for public finance statistics in December 2025, gaps remain in data coverage and quality.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The IMF noted that key challenges include incomplete data from institutions outside the central government, such as local authorities and state-owned enterprises.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In many cases, information is either missing or submitted in formats that are difficult to process, slowing the production of accurate and timely statistics.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The IMF also raised concerns about how public institutions are classified, noting that current methods rely heavily on legal definitions rather than economic reality.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Fund said a more detailed, case-by-case approach is needed to align classifications with international standards and provide a clearer picture of government finances.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To address these issues, the IMF proposed a series of reforms, including expanding data collection, improving coordination between institutions and enhancing fiscal reporting coverage.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A key recommendation is the establishment of a national committee on public finance statistics, which would bring together government departments, the central bank and the national statistics agency to improve coordination and data sharing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The IMF said strengthening fiscal transparency is critical for Madagascar as it seeks to attract investment, manage public debt and build economic resilience.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Fund warned that delays in implementing reforms could limit the government\u2019s ability to assess fiscal risks and respond effectively to economic challenges.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>However, with continued support and reform momentum, Madagascar is expected to build stronger statistical systems that support long-term growth and improved economic governance.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211;IMF\/ChannelAfrica&#8211;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":37462,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-37461","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged Madagascar to improve public finance data systems to strengthen transparency, policymaking and investor confidence.","published_date":"","news_description":"The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged Madagascar to improve public finance data systems to strengthen transparency, policymaking and investor confidence.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/37461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/37461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37463,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/37461\/revisions\/37463"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=37461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}