Mauritania: IMF releases funds as reforms stay on track
Mauritania will receive around $91 million in fresh funding after the International Monetary Fund approved reviews of its ongoing support programmes, according to an IMF statement, reported by APA News on January 30th.
The IMF said its Executive Board had finished reviewing several support programmes with Mauritania and approved the immediate release of funds. This includes the latest reviews of two financial support programmes, the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and a separate programme, the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), focused on long-term economic stability.
The programmes were first approved in early 2023, with the RSF being introduced later that year. Their successful review allows Mauritania to access 65.88 million Special Drawing Rights, which the IMF says is equal to about $91 million, or close to €84 million.
Of this total amount, a smaller share comes from the ECF and EFF programmes, while the larger portion is linked to the RSF, which focuses on long-term challenges such as climate risks and economic stability. With this latest release, total IMF funding to Mauritania now stands at around $258 million.
According to the IMF, Mauritania’s economy grew strongly in 2024, expanding by 6.3%. Growth is expected to slow to 4.2% in 2025, mainly due to weaker activity in the extractive sector, which includes mining and natural resources. Despite this slowdown, the IMF said other contributors to the economy continue to perform well. The IMF noted that the country has met all key economic targets set for mid-2025.
IMF Deputy Managing Director Kenji Okamura praised the progress made by Mauritania, pointing to what he described as careful economic management. He said steps taken to control public finances have helped stabilise debt levels and are expected to reduce the country’s external deficit next year.
Looking ahead, the IMF described Mauritania’s medium-term outlook as positive. It said public spending on infrastructure and increased private sector activity are expected to support growth. However, the IMF also warned that global uncertainty and rising security risks in the region could affect future performance. The IMF also said Mauritania’s foreign currency reserves remain at a level it considers adequate, giving the country a buffer against economic shocks.
APA News, Maghrebi.org
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