Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
Nearly everything you touch, use, or drink started out as a commodity, from the coffee beans in your cup to the minerals in your smartphone. Learn what commodities are, how they are traded, and why they play such an important role in the global economy.
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
Can sub-Saharan Africa scale AI fast enough to raise productivity and improve public services?
New IMF research finds that under current conditions, AI’s productivity gains in the region will stay modest. Faster adoption, broader use across sectors, and stronger enabling conditions could raise those gains by an order of magnitude. A virtual panel from the IMF and the Africa Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on what adoption really depends on, from electricity and digital infrastructure to skills and governance.
Thursday, September 17, 2026, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT
SPEAKERS
Fonteh Akum, Africa Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Martin Schindler, African Department, IMF
Kalpana Kochhar, Gates Foundation
Jane Munga, Africa Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Nigeria
Zeine Zeidane, African Department, IMF
Moderated by Alexis Akwagyiram, Semafor Africa
Register
https://imf.webex.com/weblink/register/r3d7bf7e1a14a8929c46f6f0cd3deadf1
Read the research
https://www.imf.org/en/publications/departmental-papers-policy-papers/issues/2026/07/13/unlocking-the-potential-ai-in-sub-saharan-africa-576489
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
How do you measure education that doesn’t have a market price? Public education may be free or heavily subsidized, but it still has economic value. So how do statisticians measure it—and how does it count toward GDP?
In this episode of The Economy – How Do You Measure That?, Jim Tebrake speaks with national accounts expert Sanjiv Mahajan about the numbers behind publicly funded education. Discover the statistics behind the classroom.
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
Today’s South Korean economy is a far cry from what Ha-Joon Chang was born into. But growing up, he witnessed the remarkable transformation of a largely agrarian society into an industrial powerhouse, albeit under a military dictatorship. In this podcast, the economist and best-selling author describes living through South Korea’s "economic miracle" like riding a time machine.
Transcript: (https://traffic.libsyn.com/imfpodcast/Ha-Joon_Chang-transcript-IMF_Podcast.pdf) https://bit.ly/4gEDPfl
Read the article in Finance & Development: IMF.org/FANDD
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
Our F&D magazine’s September issue explores the opportunities, innovations, and policy decisions that could shape the region’s next chapter of growth. IMF.org/FandD
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
AI is expected to affect 4 out of 10 jobs worldwide. Smart policies can help ensure the gains benefit everyone. Watch our latest Ask an Economist to learn what this means for the future of work.
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
Thailand is preparing to host world leaders and policymakers in Bangkok for the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings, a milestone that comes 35 years after the country last hosted the gathering.
Bank of Thailand Assistant Governor Chayawadee Chai-anant explains how Thailand’s New Horizons vision puts people and resilience at the heart of economic progress. She also shares the ambition to develop a “Bangkok Blueprint,” a practical framework that countries can use to strengthen digital finance safeguards.
Learn more about the Annual Meetings: https://www.imf.org/en/news/seminars/campaigns/2026/10/thailand-2026
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
Thailand through their eyes.
From innovation and sustainability to traditions that continue to inspire communities, Thailand’s stories are being told through a new lens. Ahead of the 2026 IMF–World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Thailand, three young photographers selected through the IMF’s Thailand Photo Contest share their visions on the people, places, and ideas shaping Thailand today.
Watch their stories and see their Thailand this October in Bangkok.
https://www.imf.org/en/news/seminars/campaigns/2026/10/thailand-2026
#IMFMeetings
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Ekniti Nitithanprapas calls the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings the "Olympics of global finance."
Hear from Ekniti Nitithanprapas, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, on what makes the country a natural meeting point for people, cultures, and ideas, and why he is excited to welcome global policymakers at the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in Thailand this October.
https://www.imf.org/en/news/seminars/campaigns/2026/10/thailand-2026
Source: International Monetary Fund – IMF (video statements)
When someone pays for citizenship through a citizenship by investment program, is it really an investment? In this episode of The Economy – How Do You Measure That?, Jim Tebrake and Prunella Charles-Williams explore how these payments are recorded in macroeconomic statistics. Learn why some are classified as current or capital transfers, while others are recorded as direct investment, depending on the type of contribution and how the funds are used.
