Africa-Press – Angola. The director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Africa, Senegalese Abebe Aemro Selassie, expressed his willingness to provide new financial support to Angola and praised the “quite prudent” economic reforms and measures that have been implemented in the Portuguese-speaking African country.
The willingness to provide new financing to Angola was expressed today, in Luanda, by the IMF director for Africa, after a meeting with the Angolan President, João Lourenço, where the economic situation in Angola and at a global level was discussed.
According to the official, the possibility of new financing for Angola was not discussed at this meeting, but, he stated, the international financial institution is ready to provide any support that the Angolan Government may request.
“If there are difficulties in economic terms, even with the policies already implemented, and the Angolan government wants to contact the IMF, we will be available. At this time, no issue regarding financing has been discussed, but as always the IMF will be ready to support when necessary,” said Abebe Salassie in statements to journalists.
Salassie said that the global economic situation and that of Angola dominated the conversations at the Presidential Palace, in the context of a mission of the institution that has been in the country since last week, noting that the IMF also shared its perspectives on the reforms developed in the country.
“We also spoke about the IMF’s perspective on the economic reforms being undertaken in Angola,” he added, congratulating the Angolan President on the results obtained.
The IMF official also referred to the volatility of the price of oil on the international market, as a factor that impacts several economies worldwide, but referring to the very prudent economic measures taken by the Government of Angola.
“[At this meeting] we were also able to see the economic measures that are being taken to recalibrate [the country’s economy], as well as the policies in place to alleviate all economic difficulties”, concluded Abebe Salassie.
An IMF mission has been in Angola since last week for meetings with the Angolan technical team as part of the Post-Financing Review, with the aim of assessing Angola’s capacity to ensure repayments to the Fund, in a context of increasing risks associated with the fall in oil prices, the widening of sovereign spreads and the tightening of external financing conditions, according to the Ministry of Finance (Minfin).
The IMF mission is expected to conclude today, after technical meetings with different ministerial departments, with the purpose of monitoring the sustainability of public finances, assessing emerging macroeconomic risks and deepening the dialogue around the structural reforms necessary for the stability and sustained growth of the national economy.
According to the economic newspaper Expansão, the Angolan government is evaluating the possibility of resorting to a new short-term financing program from the IMF, which should end in 2026, given the “difficulties” it has encountered in financing the General State Budget (OGE).
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
