Niger concludes an agreement with the IMF for the disbursement of 43 million dollars

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THE IMF and the authorities of Niamey concluded an agreement which concerns the disbursement of 43 million dollars in favor of the Nigerthis Monday, November 11. The country will receive this sum as Special Drawing Rights, the famous SDRs promised to African countries during the covid-19 pandemic. This is divided into two distinct envelopes: a first of 17 million dollars mobilized to stabilize the Nigerien economy by supporting its public finances, a second of 26 million dollars to help finance the efforts that the country must make to face climate challenges.

A growth rate projected at 8.8% this year

The IMF explains that this agreement was made possible because of economic growth “ impressive » of Niger, whose projected increase in GDP for this year amounts to 8.8%. Three major factors explain this very good performance, according to the institution: the fact that Niger became in 2024 an oil exporting country on the one hand, a favorable agricultural season despite the floods on the other, and finally the lifting of ECOWAS sanctions which had been decreed against Niamey the day after the military coup against the regime of Mohamed BazoumJuly 26, 2023. The IMF also adds confidence in the Nigerien economy, anticipating for the year 2025 a growth rate of 7.9% in the country while inflation should decline.

However, there remains a downside to this dynamic: security and financial tensions which could weigh on these forecasts, making them particularly fragile. A factor to which is also added a lack of budgetary transparency on the part of the State, a point on which the IMF is asking for improvements in Niger through a strengthening of the fight against corruption, even if the institution recognizes that in in this area, the country has made clear progress.

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