Dhaneshwar Ghura and his delegation leave the country after two weeks of economic assessment.

How far and how successful the Cameroon government has implemented its economic and financial programme supported by the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) up to December last year is expected to be known after the two weeks of evaluation by the joint delegation of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the African Development Bank.

The delegation that arrived in the country on 21 March for the fifth economic and financial review programme supported by the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF), had continuous discussions with Cameroonian officials and members of the civil society and the private sector.

Deliberations took place behind closed doors but according to the programme, they had working sessions on external debt and the execution of the budget, public service reform programme, governance and privatisation of State enterprises among others. In effect, discussions essentially centre on Cameroon's macroeconomic framework and the execution of the country's economic and financial programme up to December 31, 2007. The delegation is arriving in the country at the moment the country is said to be witnessing positive signs. In a recent write up on the challenges ahead for Cameroon to accelerate economic growth, the Director of the African Department at the IMF, Abdoulaye Bio-Tchané, underscored the fact that Cameroon has been able to "keep the economy stable and improve its fiscal performance." The IMF official however states that performance did fall short of expectation in some areas. "The reform of public enterprises-critical to improve fiscal sustainability and enhance growth-is yet to be completed", he said.