Afghanistan’s Fiscal Future and Challenges

On April 16, the Brookings Institution hosted a discussion with one of Afghanistan’s most senior and influential leaders, H.E. Anwar ul-Haq Ahadi, minister of finance, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. The session provided an opportunity to explore Afghanistan’s fiscal health, progress to date, and the challenges the country continues to face.

Finance Minister Ahadi discussed his nation’s fiscal sustainability and review Afghanistan’s application for Heavily Indebted Poor Country status, debt relief, and the implementation of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility — an IMF controlled program that limits government expenditures in the interests of fiscal sustainability.

Carlos Pascual, vice president and director of Brookings’s Foreign Policy Studies program, provided introductory remarks and moderated the discussion.