The Mozambican government has not yet defined a date for signing the new financing package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), revealed the Minister of Finance, Carla Louveira. According to the minister, work is currently underway on a base document that will support the proposed activities to be financed under a new cooperation program with the international organization.
The initiative follows Mozambique’s decision to end its previous program with the IMF, considering that current challenges require a strategic reorientation. “In the coordination with the IMF, it was decided that the country should work on a new program, not because we have a new government, but because we have new planning instruments,” said Louveira.
The minister referred in particular to the National Development Strategy (ENDE) 2025–2044, which reviews key macroeconomic indicators, including population growth, revenue evolution, and GDP performance, proposing a long-term vision for national economic independence. The new program will thus be anchored on the pillars defined by ENDE, the Government’s Five-Year Plan, and the State Budget. “At this moment, a joint team from the Ministry of Finance and other government institutions is working on defining the initial draft, which will be submitted to the IMF for analysis,” said the minister. Only after the IMF’s technical assessment will it be possible to schedule a mission visit for validation of the assumptions and potential signing of the new package.
When asked about the expected timeline for the process, Louveira explained that drafting a new program can take between six months and a year, depending on the government’s readiness and the IMF’s speed in conducting the analysis.
Regarding the state of public finances, the minister emphasized that the government is managing the budget carefully. “We are not experiencing delays in salary payments. We are managing within our means, ensuring that expenditures do not exceed the state’s financing capacity,” she stressed.
Louveira also revealed that the state has an outstanding debt of about 6.9 billion meticais (USD 110 million) owed to public and private companies for goods and services provided up to 2023. The amount of 10 billion meticais (USD 160 million) related to 2024 has, according to the minister, been fully settled.
“A verification exercise is underway to identify the existence of other potential debts that are not yet reflected in the system. Validating them will allow for timely regularization if confirmed,” she concluded.
The new agreement with the IMF could define guidelines for financing structural projects, at a time when the country is seeking greater budgetary stability and strengthened public investment capacity.
Source: O País
