Dubai – Mubasher: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said it expects 3% economic growth in the MENA region during 2015.

In its Global Outlook Report issued Monday, the fund said that, despite accelerating rates, growth is still insufficient to trigger a substantial decline in unemployment.

Masood Ahmed, IMF director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department, said that although the region’s countries have made progress in implementing reforms, they should do more to boost economic prospects.

Speaking during the IMF’s “Regional Economic Outlook for the Middle East and Central Asia” in Dubai on Tuesday, Ahmed added that the tensions in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen weaken economic activity.