IMF has not turned down its support – Mwanakatwe

Fri, 23 Feb 2018 08:00:24 +0000

By MUKOSELA KASALWE

 GOVERNMENT and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are actively engaging in talks about a bailout programme for Zambia, says Finance minister Margaret Mwanakatwe.

Ms Mwanakatwe told Parliament yesterday, that she has not received any official communication from the IMF to the effect that the programme has collapsed but that Government was keen to strengthen economic reforms so that it could negotiate for a better deal.

The minister said this in response to a question for oral answer from Kabompo MP Ambrose Lufuma who wanted to find out if the bailout programme has failed because of failure to slow down debt.

Ms Mwanakatwe, who is Lusaka Central MP, said she has not received any letter from the IMF to that effect but that what she has seen are a series of engagements with the IMF to ensure everything was going on as planned.

“I have not received a letter in my office to say IMF has rejected to support Zambia unless you have seen it? I haven’t, what I have seen is a series of engagements including last week when a senior IMF officer visited our office to see to it that what we were talking about was on track,” she said

But UPND Mazabuka Central MP, Gary Nkombo said the IMF was equally talking to the opposition and he expressed doubt if the programme would succeed.

Ms Mwanakatwe reaffirmed that the IMF was talking to the government in power and that it was working on debt sustainability and resource mobilization.

Roan MP Chishimba Kambwili asked the minister when a bill on loans which government contract and was supposed to be approved by Parliament would be presented.