<\/p>\n
The 38-month Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement remains subject to approval by the IMF Executive Board, which is expected to consider the request in early December.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Niger also reached agreement on the 10th and final review of the current ECF programme.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Completing the review and approving the new arrangement would make about $36 million immediately available to meet external financing needs and support reform implementation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Economic growth is projected at 7% in 2026 and 6.7% in 2027, driven mainly by agriculture and extractive industries.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Average growth is expected to reach approximately 6.1% over the medium term, supported by public investment and continued expansion in agriculture and mining.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Inflation is projected at -2.5% in 2026 before rising to 2.2% in 2027.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Higher oil prices linked to the Middle East conflict have strengthened Niger\u2019s public finances and external position. However, increased transport costs are placing pressure on households, particularly vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The fiscal deficit is projected at 3.4% of gross domestic product in 2026.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The deficit accommodates reconstruction following natural disasters in 2025 and assistance for households affected by high food and fuel prices.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The government is using part of the additional oil revenue to rebuild fiscal buffers while prioritising concessional financing and grants.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The IMF said Niger had performed strongly against programme targets for the end of June and continued clearing domestic and external arrears.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The proposed ECF programme will support Niger\u2019s 2025-2029 Programme for the Refoundation of the Republic.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Priorities include increasing government revenue, safeguarding debt sustainability, strengthening financial stability and supporting more inclusive private-sector-led growth.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The programme will also focus on public financial management, governance, accountability, transparency and social cohesion.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Reforms are expected to strengthen banks\u2019 ability to finance private companies, including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
However, the IMF warned that security challenges and climate shocks remained significant risks to the economic outlook.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
An IMF team led by Julia Bersch held discussions in Niamey from September 28 to October 8.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–IMF\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":44377,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[44],"class_list":["post-47686","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Niger has reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a new $203 million programme aimed at supporting economic reforms and preserving debt sustainability.","published_date":"","news_description":"Niger has reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a new $203 million programme aimed at supporting economic reforms and preserving debt sustainability.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/47686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/47686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47687,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/47686\/revisions\/47687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=47686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}