ABSTRACT
Since the mid-1990s the governance and policies of the international financial institutions (IFIs, i.e. the IMF and the World Bank) have come under close scrutiny. The IFIs have played a central role in promoting global economic integration, and they have acted far beyond their original mandates. Yet the results have been disappointing. This has prompted a consideration of their need of reform, transformation or even closure. Certainly the governments and peoples of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have cause for concern with their relationship with the IFIs. The region has undergone the most intense and continuous application of IFI policies over an expanding range of areas for over two decades, with deeply unsatisfactory economic and social results. Yet SSA suffers from a significant lack of voice and representation in the IFIs.
