Foresight Africa at the 2026 Spring Meetings: How the world’s economic leaders are preparing for the next crisis

LANDRY SIGNÉ: Hello, I am Landry Signé, senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development Program and the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution. Welcome to the Foresight Africa podcast, where I engage with distinguished leaders in policy, business, academia, and civil society who share their unique insights and innovative solutions to Africa’s challenges while highlighting opportunities to advance engagement between Africa, the US, and the global community. 

Today we are on the sidelines of the 2026 Spring Meetings organized by the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund. Twice a year, these international financial institutions bring together the world’s most prominent figures in the field of development finance, including central bankers, ministers of finance, heads of global and regional financial institutions, corporate CEOs, entrepreneurs, and civil society leaders. 

I am joined now by Governor Mohamed Lemine Ould Dhehby of the Central Bank of Mauritania. Welcome to the Brookings Institution Foresight Africa podcast show, Governor! 

MOHAMED LEMINE OULD DHEHBY: Thank you for having me.  

SIGNÉ: I am delighted to have you join me during this very busy week, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to share your insights with our audience. Governor, as the Spring Meetings conclude amid rising economic fragmentation and shifting geopolitical dynamics. What are the most consequential takeaways for policymakers and which signals should the world be watching most closely in the months ahead?  

DHEHBY: First of all, these Spring Meetings are very productive. Despite the uncertainties, the diagnosis, analysis, and recommendations provided by the IMF are very clear. The global economy has shown resilience so far while it faces a supply side shock. The shock is asymmetric, in the sense that proximity to the region is an aggravating factor, but the shock is also global and is sparing no country. The flagship recommendation is to avoid using buffers so early as the crisis could last. 

So these meetings were an occasion for specialists in the economy, forecasters and analysts to go in depth, analyze the facts and use models.  

And they find at least three scenarios.  

The first scenario – which they do not call the base scenario, but reference scenario so to avoid confusion – is that the crisis will be short, and the resilience of the world economy will be maintained.  

The other scenarios are a longer crisis and then finally a severe scenario. So these scenarios, I hope, will not be materialized.  

SIGNÉ: So we would prefer to have the first scenario, a short crisis.  

DHEHBY: Yes. A short crisis, and the recovery as soon as possible.  

SIGNÉ: Insightful, Governor. Looking beyond the Spring Meetings, what will it take to translate today’s commitments into measurable on-the-ground impact? And how can institutions ensure accountability, speed, and scale in delivering results?  

DHEHBY: So this crisis has revealed capacity of countries in the same region to coordinate and to pool infrastructures and utilities. So this is a good thing for the coming crisis. The Spring Meetings has gathered these countries.  

SIGNÉ: Absolutely.  

DHEHBY: Each region is now organizing their coordination and after the crisis, the world will change the way of coordination and the way of facing other crises.  

SIGNÉ: I really like this point. How you are emphasizing the critical importance of regional coordination and the legacy that this could provide post-crisis, so that countries are better prepared to manage future events, major events. 

DHEHBY: Yes. People I met during these meetings, policymakers, governors of central banks, my colleagues and ministers of finance, now are more rational and are now not sensitive to populism and so on. So I think the policymakers will take a good lesson from this crisis.  

SIGNÉ: That’s very insightful. So policymakers are focusing on evidence-based insights instead of focusing on more populist decision-making processes?  

DHEHBY: Yes, I think so.  

SIGNÉ: Fantastic! 

DHEHBY: Thank you for having me, and I think that Brookings is doing well for Africa.  

SIGNÉ: What a wonderful way to conclude. Thank you so much, Governor, for joining us today!