The IMF & Covid-19 in the MENA: An Assessment of Risks and Constraints

This paper discusses the IMF’s most recent foray into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

While no country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has been immune to Covid-19 and new cases are being reported every day, most countries have implemented an array of health, fiscal, monetary, and financial policies in their battle against the unprecedented economic crisis brought by the pandemic. This paper discusses the IMF’s most recent foray into the MENA region. It sheds light on how the pandemic and oil price crash has affected these economies and what sort of financial assistance the IMF has provided. It concludes the discussion by questioning whether the IMF can rescue MENA economies in the post-Covid-19 era.