How We Work
The IMF serves as a global hub for knowledge on economic and financial issues. It shares this knowledge with government institutions such as finance ministries and central banks in different forms. This ranges from support on a policy issue — e.g. helping Liberia establish a more modern and professional tax administration — to holistic capacity development, which may include providing a resident specialist based in-country – e.g. working with Myanmar to provide a broad range of fiscal, monetary, legal and statistical support.
This hands-on advice, peer-to-peer learning, and training are delivered to the countries in various ways:
- IMF staff offer expert advice to country officials both in country and remotely from headquarters. Such visits are focused on targeted issues and initiated at the request of the member country; the staff may stay in-country for a short period or be based long-term in an agency, depending on the country authority’s request.
- A network of the IMF’s regional capacity development centers provides hands-on support to countries under the guidance of headquarters. These centers foster regional integration, allow for better tailoring of knowledge sharing to the needs of a region and facilitate an enhanced ability to respond quickly to emerging needs.
- In-person and online training for government officials on targeted macroeconomic and financial topics. Online training is also provided to the general public through massive open online courses in partnership with edX.
Regional Capacity Development Centers
A global network of regional capacity development centers (RCDCs) and training programs help to implement the IMF’s mandate to deliver capacity development services to its member countries through knowledge sharing. A regional approach facilitates an enhanced ability to respond quickly to a country’s emerging needs, as well as closer coordination with other development partners on the ground. It also fosters regional integration and allows for better tailoring of advice and training, helping countries advance towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Activities are complemented by global thematic funds focused on topical areas.
These locally-based regional centers anchor IMF support for knowledge sharing and are financed jointly by the IMF, external development partners, and member countries. They include:
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Center |
Partners |
Member Countries |
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China, Germany, the European Investment Bank, Guinea, Malawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe and Mauritius (host) |
45 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are eligible for training |
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China, European Investment Bank, European Union, France, China, European Investment Bank, European Union, France, Gabon (host), Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland |
Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and São Tomé and Príncipe |
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European Investment Bank, European Union, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Tanzania (host), United Kingdom and China, Norway in the next phase |
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda (South Sudan to join in 2020) |
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Australia, China, European Investment Bank, European Union, Germany, Mauritius (host), The Netherlands, Switzerland, United Kingdom |
Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe |
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China, Côte d’Ivoire (host), European Investment Bank, European Union, France, Germany, Luxembourg |
Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo |
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China, European Investment Bank, European Union, Germany, Ghana (host), Switzerland, United Kingdom |
Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone |
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| Capacity Development Center for the Caucasus, Central Asia and Mongolia (CCAMTAC) |
Kazakhstan (host) |
The Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, the Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan |
| IMF Capacity Development Office in Thailand (CDOT) |
Japan, Thailand (host) | Core beneficiaries are Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam |
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Barbados (host), Canada, Caribbean Development Bank, Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, European Union, Mexico, The Netherlands, United Kingdom |
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Sint Maarten, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos | |
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Central America, Panama, & Dominican Republic RTAC (CAPTAC-DR) |
Central American Bank for Economic Integration, European Union, Guatemala (host), Luxembourg, Mexico, Norway, Spain |
Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama |
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China (host) |
China and a range of countries are eligible for training |
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Austria (primary member) and international partners/donors |
31 countries, including 29 in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia; as well as Iran and Turkey are eligible for training |
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Kuwait (host) |
Arab League member countries are eligible for training |
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European Union, France, Germany, Lebanon (host), The Netherlands, Switzerland |
Afghanistan, Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen |
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Asian Development Bank, Australia, Canada, European Union, Fiji (host), Korea, New Zealand |
Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu |
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Australia, Japan, Singapore (host) |
37 countries in the Asia-Pacific region are eligible for training |
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South Asia Regional Training & Technical Assistance Center (SARTTAC) |
Member countries finance two-thirds of the center’s budget, with additional funding from the Australia, European Union, Korea, the United Kingdom |
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka |
The Joint Vienna Institute –
Training governments across Europe
Partners share how the Singapore Regional Training Institute helps boost economic policymaking
Online Learning
The IMF has significantly scaled up online learning as a vehicle to deliver training in macroeconomics and finance to government officials. Online courses are also being made freely available to the general public through massive open online courses in partnership with edX, the nonprofit online learning initiative founded by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Since the launch of the program in late 2013, online courses have attracted over 100,000 active participants from 192 countries. Of those, close to 42,000 were government officials and almost 59,000 people were from the general public.. 50,000+ participants have successfully completed their course as of February 2021.
Click here to learn more about IMF online learning.