The Mozambican government has not yet set a date for signing the new financing package with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

According to Finance Minister Carla Louveira, the Executive is currently preparing the basic document that will support the proposals for activities to be financed under a new cooperation program with the international body.

According to the newspaper "The Country"The initiative follows Mozambique's decision to end the previous program with the IMF, considering that the current challenges require a strategic reorientation. "In the discussion with the IMF, it was decided that the country should work on a new program, not because we are facing a new government, but because we are facing new planning instruments," said Louveira.

The minister referred in particular to the National Development Strategy (ENDE) 2025-44, which reviews the main macroeconomic indicators, including population growth, revenue trends and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), proposing a long-term vision for national economic independence. The new program will thus be anchored in the pillars defined by ENDE, the Government's Five-Year Plan and the State Budget.

"At the 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 Fund's technical assessment will it be possible to schedule a mission visit to validate the assumptions and possibly sign the new package.

Asked about the expected duration of the process, Louveira explained that drawing up a new program could take between six months and a year, depending on the readiness of the Executive and the speed of the IMF's analysis.

Regarding the state of public finances, she stressed that the Executive is managing the budget carefully. "We're not having any delays in paying salaries. We are managing within our means, ensuring that expenditure does not exceed the state's financing capacity," she stressed.

Louveira also revealed that the state has accumulated liabilities of around 6.9 billion meticais (110 million dollars) relating to debts with public and private companies for goods and services provided until 2023. The amount of 10 billion meticais (160 million dollars) relating to 2024 has, according to the minister, been fully settled.

"A verification exercise is underway to ascertain the existence of other potential debts that are not yet in the system. Their validation will enable them to be settled in good time, should they be confirmed," he concluded.

(Photo DR)