Maputo, Sept. 9, 2026 (Lusa) - A delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) began a new working visit to Mozambique on Wednesday for technical negotiations on a potential financial support programme for the country, the Ministry of Finance has confirmed.
According to a statement from the Ministry, the mission will run until 18 September in Maputo, «as part of technical discussions aimed at negotiating a potential programme under the Extended Credit Facility» (ECF), an IMF concessional financing mechanism designed for low-income countries.
The IMF delegation is led by Pablo López Murphy and is expected to hold meetings with various ministries, the Bank of Mozambique, representatives of the private sector and financial institutions.
According to the ministry, the visit aims to carry out «an in-depth review of recent macroeconomic performance, the state of implementation of ongoing reforms, as well as future prospects for technical and financial cooperation».
The Government considers cooperation with the IMF to be of «paramount importance» for improving the country's macro-fiscal management and for mobilising new external resources for development.
This mission comes some three months after the IMF confirmed that it had held initial discussions with the Mozambican authorities regarding a formal request for financial support.
At the end of that visit, in June, López Murphy, who also led that mission, stated that the team had discussed with the Government «its request for a programme supported by the Fund» and that he would return to Maputo «in the coming months» to examine the request and the authorities' economic policy plans in greater depth.
At the time, he explained that the talks had focused on measures aimed at restoring macroeconomic stability and public debt sustainability, including strengthening the fiscal position, protecting the most vulnerable groups, strengthening monetary and exchange rate policy, preserving financial stability and improving governance.
The IMF considered at the time that Mozambique was facing a challenging economic environment, characterised by moderate growth, accelerating inflation, fiscal and debt vulnerabilities, as well as constraints on access to foreign exchange. The institution also warned of risks associated with rising international prices for fuel and fertilisers, as well as the impacts of recent climate shocks on the domestic economy.
Prior to this mission, the Government had already indicated that it intended to discuss with the IMF a possible Credit Facility Programme, as part of a package of measures to reduce macroeconomic imbalances and strengthen fiscal consolidation.
In March this year, Mozambique made an early repayment of a debt of $698.6 million to the IMF, corresponding to loans taken out under the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT); the Government presented this move as a sign of prudent management of public finances and of restoring market confidence.
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