Debt Management and Sustainable Financing | A Regional Project for Africa

 

This project sought to promote best practices in debt transparency and sustainable borrowing.

On August 2, 2021, Meridian International Center and the U.S. Department of State virtually welcomed nine participants from Cameroon and Malagasy to the United States to explore U.S. approaches to sovereign debt policy and efforts to combat foreign bribery and corruption. Over the course of the project, participants examined U.S. and international financial institution frameworks, private financial sector perspectives, and civil society organizations that bolster international debt transparency standards.

Traveling virtually across the United States, participants had the opportunity to make strong connections and partnerships with numerous United States government agencies, domestic banks, international financial institutions, and non-governmental organizations.

Participants began in Washington, D.C., where they met with leaders from the Government Accountability Office, the United States House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. In these meetings, participants discussed the United States’ approach to sovereign debt policy and strategies for ensuring government financial responsibility with their American counterparts.

Following their time in Washington, the group virtually traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina. In Charlotte, participants examined private sector perspectives on global financial trends, the effects of COVID-19 on the global economy, and growth in Africa driven by U.S. and Chinese spending. Through a virtual dinner and conversation with members of the local Charlotte community, participants were able to build new personal connections and exchange ideas with American citizens.

In the final weeks of the program, participants met with a panel of international finance non-governmental organizations aiming to support fiscal transparency. Their final meeting was with the Federal Reserve, where they discussed monetary policy and its role in American and international economic stability.

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