By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 30 --
Amid the Ebola
crisis and
after the
International
Monetary
Fund's $130
million
commitment to
Liberia, Sierra
Leone and
Guinea, Inner
City Press
asked IMF
spokesperson
Gerry Rice for
an update at
the IMF's
embargoed
briefing on
October 30.
Rice said the
outlook has
worsened, with
region-wide
fall offs in
travel and
tourism. As to
the three
countries most
impacted,
there are
"large
financing
needs likely
for 2015."
At the Annual
Meetings
earlier this
month, the IMF
met with the
three
countries' authorities,
Rice said.
"2015 is going
to be a
challenging
year." If the
outbreak
spreads, it
would have
larger
spillovers.
The IMF, Rice
said, is
ready. We'll
see.
Also during
the October 30
embargoed
briefing, Rice
said that the
IMF's Article
IV visit to
Egypt will be
November 11,
under Chris
Jarvis.
Rice
was asked
about
including
"illicit
activities" -
drug trafficking
and prostitution
-- in Gross
Domestic Product
data but did
not answer; Feature
News asked
about Ghana
(on which
Inner City
Press had
submitted this
question: "On
Ghana, does
the IMF have
any comment on
the October 28
launch of the
“Civil Society
Organization
Platform on
the IMF
Bailout to
Ghana”? Will
the IMF meet
with the
group?")
On
Ebola back on
August 28 Rice
told Inner
City Press
that the IMF
was working on
the ebola
crisis with
the government
of Liberia,
Sierra Leone
and
Guinea.
Later came the
$130 million
commitment.
While
most questions
on August 28
concerned IMF
Managing
Director
Christine
Lagarde being
under
investigation
-- she will
brief the IMF
Board “very
soon,” Rice
said, calling
it “highly
unlikely” it
would be on
August 29
along with the
Board's
meeting on
Ukraine --
Inner City
Press also
asked about
Yemen, Ghana,
Pakistan --
and ebola,
IMF transcript
here:
“Has
the IMF
produced any
estimates of
the impact of
the ebola
crisis? Any
IMF responses
to it?”
Rice
read out the
question, then
said that
ebola's "acute
impacts" are
“macro-economic”
and social,
hitting three
“already
fragile”
countries
(Guinea,
Liberia and
Sierra Leone).
He said
"growth is
likely to slow
sharply in all
three cases"
and
significant
financial
needs will
rise:
"increased
poverty and
food
insecurity"
and impacts on
employment in
the key
agricultural
sector.
Rice
concluded, "We
are actively
working with
all three
countries to
prepare...
additional
financing that
may be
required."
, 
