Zimbabwe economy buoyant, more reform needed: IMF

Zimbabwe's economy will grow for the second successive year in 2010 due to positive policies and strong commodity prices, the International Monetary Fund said on Monday, while calling for more reforms to sustain the recovery. The southern African country's economy, battered by hyperinflation which reached 500 billion percent in 2008, grew 5.7 percent in 2009 - the first time in a decade - under a power-sharing government set up by bitter foes President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
An IMF team that visited between October 25 and November 3 for routine discussions with government and the private sector said Zimbabwe would have a budget surplus this year, among other signs of improved economic conditions.
"Supported by renewed efforts to strengthen policies and favourable shocks, the Zimbabwe economy is completing its second year of buoyant economic growth after a decade of economic decline," the IMF said. The IMF has projected the economy to grow by 2.2 percent in 2010.