IMF MENA Inaugural Research Conference

Steering Macroeconomic and Structural Policies in A Shifting Global Economic Landscape

May 18-19, 2025

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Research Conference is the first annual economic research conference co-organized by the IMF and the Onsi Sawiris School of Business at The American University in Cairo, Egypt. This new conference series will be in partnership with leading universities in the region and aims to establish a forum for dialogue and knowledge exchange among academics, researchers, and policymakers on significant regional and global economic issues. It also seeks to strengthen economic research capacities in ministries of finance and central banks in the region.

This inaugural conference will feature presentations by distinguished academics from around the world and the region on economic topics of regional and global relevance. The conference will cover strategies for rebuilding fiscal margins while addressing inequalities, lessons from recent inflationary episodes for monetary policy and financial stability, the resurgence and implementation of industrial policy, and the challenges and opportunities posed by the green transition and AI in the labor market.

Conference Recordings

If you missed the event or would like to rewatch either or both days of the conference, please use the links below.

Watch Day 1 Watch Day 2


Agenda

Day 1: Sunday, May 18

9:00–9:30 – Registration

9:30–10:15 – Opening and Welcome Remarks

  • Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department (IMF)
  • Ahmad S. Dallal, President (The American University in Cairo)

10:15–11:45 – Session 1: Rebuilding Margins while Addressing Inequalities: What Options for Fiscal Policy?

  • Moderator: Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas (IMF)
  • Speakers:
    • Alan Auerbach (UC Berkeley) Presentation
    • Ishaq Diwan (American University of Beirut)
    • Barry Eichengreen (UC Berkeley) Presentation

11:45–12:00 – Coffee Break

12:00–13:30 – Session 2: Monetary Policy and Financial Stability after the Inflation Scare

  • Moderator: Giovanni Dell’Ariccia (IMF)
  • Speakers:

13:30–13:45 – IMF Youth Challenge in Economics for the MENA Region

  • Winners: Mohamed Badawy (Cairo University), Hajer Jomaa (University of Miskolc), Hussein Suleiman (Nagoya University)

13:45–15:00 – Lunch

  • Keynote Speech: Anne Krueger (Johns Hopkins University & Stanford University)

15:00–16:30 – Session 3: The Return of Industrial Policy

  • Moderator: Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti (Brookings Institution)
  • Speakers:
    • Amir Lebdioui (Oxford University)
    • Justin Yifu Lin (Peking University) Presentation
    • El Mouhoub Mouhoud (University of Paris Dauphine) Presentation
Day 2: Monday, May 19

9:00–9:30 – Coffee

9:30–11:00 – Session 4: The Green Transition, AI, and the Future of Jobs

  • Moderator: Antonio Spilimbergo (IMF)
  • Speakers:

11:00–11:15 – Coffee Break

11:15–12:30 – Closing Panel: A Way Forward for MENA amid a Changing Global Landscape

  • Moderator: Nigel Clarke (IMF Deputy Managing Director)
  • Panelists:
    • Francois Bourguignon (Paris School of Economics)
    • Youssef Boutros-Ghali (Member of Specialized Council for Economic Development, Egypt)
    • Barry Eichengreen (UC Berkeley)
    • Martin Galstyan (Governor, Central Bank of Armenia)

12:30–13:00 – Closing Remarks

  • Nigel Clarke, Deputy Managing Director (IMF)

The times listed in this agenda are shown in local time (Cairo, Egypt).