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The Africa Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Abebe Aemro Selassie, says countries on the continent, particularly in sub-Sharan Africa, have been hit much worse than expected by the global economic slowdown. In a new report, the IMF refers to sub-Saharan Africa as 'Living on The Edge'. Many states face challenges of food insecurity and dwindling access to financial resources, and these difficulties have been exacerbated by first, the Covid-19 pandemic, and now the war in Ukraine. In addition, rising food and energy prices are striking at the region’s most vulnerable, and public debt and inflation are at levels not seen in decades. Abebe Aemro Selassie says the IMF will step in when asked by governments, to provide financial assistance for two main purposes: emergency situations, or to support reform programmes. He dismisses the idea of a 'top-down' relationship and says policy initiatives come from the governments with the IMF working in a much more collaborative way, and adds "... this is not your grandfather's IMF." Abebe Aemro Selassie, Director of the IMF’s Africa Department. Credit: Reuters.