uritius, and Madagascar.

Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with
tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses
substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its
economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and
serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development.
About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in
subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the
processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the
domestic market. Plans to reopen bauxite and rutile mines shut down
during an 11 year civil war have not been implemented due to lack of
foreign investment. Alluvial diamond mining remains the major source
of hard currency earnings. The fate of the economy depends upon the
maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of
substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe
trade imbalance and supplement government revenues. International
financial institutions contributed over $600 million in development
aid and budgetary support in 2003.

Singapore
Singapore, a highly developed and successful free market
economy, enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment,
stable prices, and a per capita GDP equal to that of the Big 4 West
European countries. The economy depends heavily on exports,
particularly in electronics and manufacturing. It was hard hit in
2001-03 by the global recession, by the slump in the technology
sector, and by an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in
2003, which curbed tourism and consumer spending. The government
hopes to establish a new growth path that will be less vulnerable to
the external business cycle and will continue efforts to establish
Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub. Fiscal
stimulus, low interest rates, a surge in exports, and internal
flexibility led to vigorous growth in 2004, with real GDP rising by
8 percent, by far the economy's best performance since 2000.

Slovakia
Slovakia has mastered much of the difficult transition from
a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. The DZURINDA
government made excellent progress during 2001-04 in macroeconomic
stabilization and structural reform. Major privatizations are nearly
complete, the banking sector is almost completely in foreign hands,
and the government