BUJUMBURA February 13th (ABP) – The Prime Minister of the Republic of Burundi, Mr. Gervais Ndirakobuca received in audience, on Friday February 10, 2023, a delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) visiting Burundi.
Mrs. Mame Astou Diouf, head of mission on Burundi, at the head of that delegation, indicated to the press that this delegation has come to discuss with the Prime Minister about the terms of the expanded program of loans, “an economic and financial program of Burundi supported by the IMF”. She said that this delegation has submitted their main conclusions to the Prime Minister. The program in question will extend over a period of 40 months, according to Mrs. Diouf, and will start “from the date of approval by the Cabinet, once the negotiations have been completed.
For the head of the IMF mission to Burundi, “this program goes beyond the financial dimension, financial support”. She explained that the latter will help in the development of macroeconomic policies to ensure that economic growth is on the one hand accelerated and, on the other hand, it brings macroeconomic stability.
Returning to the discussions that took place between the 2 parties, during the exchanges, she indicated that the latter “went very well”. During the discussions, the Prime Minister appealed to the delegation on the fact that “any macro-economic program should make sure to particularly improve the living conditions of rural people, the farmers”, Mrs. Diouf told the press, while maintaining that this concern of the Prime Minister is also close to the heart of that delegation, especially as those people feel the repercussions of all the shocks, particularly those of the world geopolitics, she specified.
In that regard, at the insistence of the Prime Minister, Mrs. Diouf concluded that the two parties agreed on the measures and dimensions to be integrated into the programs to ensure the inclusiveness of growth. That mission has been visiting Burundi since February 2, 2023, a visit which ended on February 12th.