IMF's Lagarde talks Africa Rising conference with VR

(Vatican Radio) A high-level conference taking place this week is to take stock of Africa’s strong economic performance, its increased resilience to shocks, and the key, ongoing economic policy challenges.

In an exclusive interview with Vatican Radio ahead of the conference, of which the  government of Mozambique and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are joint sponsors, IMF Director Christine Lagarde said, “First of all, we have to acknowledge the progress that has been made over the last few years, and [toward] the millennium goals, and to acknowledge that poverty [in Africa] has been reduced by 10%.” The challenge now is to make sure more no one is left behind. “We believe it is time for the African countries to decide how inclusive they want that growth to be,” Lagarde told Vatican Radio, “to make sure that poverty continues to be reduced and that extreme poverty is actually tackled.”

Listen to IMF Director Christine Lagarde's conversation with Francesca Baronio for Vatican Radio

The Africa Rising conference will be held May 29-30, 2014, in Maputo, and is intended to follow up on the 2009 Tanzania Conference, which helped galvanize international support for Africa after the 2008 financial crisis. The conference will bring together policymakers from Africa and beyond, the private sector, civil society, academics, and private foundations with the goal of sustaining the current growth and sharing its benefits among African populations.