Press Release No. 16/545

IMF Executive Board Completes Sixth Review Under ECF Arrangement for Sierra Leone and Approves US$33.23 Million Disbursement

December 6, 2016

• The review’s completion enables the disbursement of US$33.23million, bringing total disbursements under the program to US$253.81million.
• Economic policy should continue to focus on anchoring economic stability through sound fiscal, monetary, and debt policies.
• Diversifying growth, making it more inclusive and distributing its benefits more widely should be the overriding focus of economic policy.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today completed the sixth review of Sierra Leone’s performance under the economic program supported by an Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement [1] . Completion of the review enables the disbursement of SDR24.44million, about US$33.23million, bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to SDR186.66million (about US$253.81 million). The decision was made on a lapse of time basis [2] .

In completing the review, the Executive Board also approved a request for waiver for the non-observance of the continuous performance criterion on the net present value of the external debt and the non-introduction of multiple currency practices given corrective measures taken by the authorities.

Sierra Leone’s ECF arrangement was approved by the Executive Board for SDR 62.22 million (about US$86.86 million) on October 21, 2013 (see Press Release No. 13/410) and was augmented twice (seePress Release 15/86 andPress Release 14/441). It was subsequently extended until end-December 2016 ( see PR No 16/314).

The government’s economic reform program supported by the ECF has achieved its key objectives despite the exogenous shocks of the Ebola epidemic and the collapse of iron ore prices and associated loss of production in 2014-2015. It aims at ensuring stronger and more inclusive growth and plays a catalytic role for bilateral and multilateral assistance.

The economy proved resilient, supported by sound macroeconomic policies, together with generous support from development partners that helped ensure fiscal and external sustainability, while providing resources to begin implementing the post-Ebola Recovery Strategy. However, the authorities need more resources to mitigate the long – lasting impact of Ebola and commodities prices shocks.

Despite this improvement, challenges persist. Looking ahead, policy should focus on continuing to anchor economic stability through sound fiscal, monetary, and debt policies while making faster progress on structural reforms. Diversifying growth, making it more inclusive and distributing its benefits more widely should be the overriding focus of economic policy.