IMF Executive Board completes first review under ECF arrangement for DRC
Washington, DC, US (PANA) - The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has completed the first review under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) Arrangement for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) approved on 5 January, 2025.
The completion of the first review allowed an immediate disbursement equivalent to 190.4 million SDR (about US$ 261.9 million) to support balance-of-payment needs, bringing the aggregate disbursement to date to 380.5 million SDR (about 523.4 US$ million).
A press release by IMF said the DRC has been facing significant challenges amid the intensification of the armed conflict in its eastern part since end-2024.
The escalation of hostilities has claimed thousands of lives and caused severe social and humanitarian damages, including disruptions in access to essential services such as food, water, and electricity.
Diplomatic efforts are ongoing to secure a cessation of hostilities and ensure sustainable peace in the region.
The signing on June 27, 2025, of a peace agreement between the governments of the DRC and Rwanda, under the mediation of the United States, is encouraging for the prospect of a peaceful resolution on the ongoing conflict and renewed focus on addressing development goals.
The press release said despite the challenging environment, economic activity remained resilient, with robust GDP growth of 6.5 percent in 2024, driven by continued dynamism in the extractive sector.
“External stability has strengthened, as the current account deficit narrowed and the accumulation of international reserves continued. Inflationary pressures continue to ease, and year-on-year inflation declined from 23.8 percent at end-2023 to 11.7 percent at end-2024 and (8.5) percent at end-June 2025.”
The press release said performance under the programmed was mixed, as the intensification of the conflict has placed significant strains on the budget.
It said despite strong revenue collection, the domestic fiscal deficit reached 0.8 percent of GDP in 2024, exceeding the programme target of 0.3 percent, owing to spending overruns linked to the escalation of the conflict, including on exceptional security spending and public investments.
The programme target on the Central Bank of the Congo (BCC)’s foreign exchange assets held with domestic correspondents was missed as well, due to higher-than-expected tax payments in foreign currency on government accounts.
Other quantitative performance criteria of the ECF were met, it said, adding that most indicative targets were also met, except those related to the floor on social spending and the ceiling on spending executed through emergency procedures—owing to elevated exceptional security spending linked to the conflict intensification. Appropriate corrective measures are being implemented by the authorities.
The press release said in completing the first review, the Executive Board also approved the authorities’ request for waivers of nonobservance of the performance criteria on the floor on the domestic fiscal balance at end-December 2024 on the basis of corrective actions, and the continuous ceiling on the levels of foreign currency assets of the BCC held with domestic correspondents on the basis of the temporary nature of the deviation which has since been remedied.
Further, the Executive Board completed the financing assurances review under the ECF arrangement. No reform measures under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) arrangement, approved in January 2025, were due for review at this time.
At the conclusion of the Executive Board’s discussion, Mr. Kenji Okamura, Deputy Managing Director and Chair stated that the DRC has been confronted with heightened security challenges since late 2024.
He said despite the escalation of the conflict in the eastern part of the country that has caused serious human, social and economic damage and induced the government to increase spending, growth has remained robust, due to the resilience of mining production.
Inflation continues to decrease, and the external position has strengthened.
“The economic outlook remains positive, but is fraught with downside risks related to the persistence of the conflict, declining external humanitarian assistance, global economic headwinds, and potential escalation of geopolitical conflicts. The authorities are committed to closely monitor these risks and to respond proactively to evolving challenges.”
Mr, Okamura said budget implementation remains challenging in a difficult security context. As a result, the domestic fiscal deficit is projected to be larger than initially projected for 2025, but is expected to return to the path envisaged at program approval starting in 2026, reflecting the authorities’ commitment to carry out measures to enhance domestic revenue mobilization and strengthen the budget implementation process.
Additionally, to guard against unforeseen adverse shocks, the authorities have adopted a contingency plan.
“The Central Bank of the Congo (BCC) has maintained a tight monetary policy stance, thereby helping bring inflation down to single digits for the first time in three years. The accumulation of international reserves has continued, on the back of the narrowing of the current account deficit. Efforts must continue, to strengthen the monetary policy implementation framework, refine the foreign exchange intervention strategy, enhance the governance and safeguards of the BCC and ensure its adequate recapitalization," Mr. Okamura said.
-0- PANA MA 6July2025
