The International ‌Monetary Fund (IMF) completed a staff mission to Kenya and said that discussions with ​the East African country’s authorities would ​continue at the upcoming IMF-World Bank ⁠Spring Meetings.

The IMF said in ​a statement that the aim of the ​visit was to discuss recent economic developments and advance technical discussions after Kenya requested a ​new lending programme.

On Wednesday Kenya’s Finance ​Minister John Mbadi said the government did not ‌expect ⁠the visit to yield an agreement on a new programme.

“Discussions highlighted the need to strengthen fiscal discipline, enhance fiscal ​credibility, and ​build ⁠resilience to external shocks,” the IMF statement said on Thursday, adding that the ​staff mission would not result ​in ⁠an IMF Executive Board discussion.

IMF and Kenyan officials also discussed risks including ⁠potential ​spillovers from the Middle ​East conflict, the statement added.
–Reuters–