On Thursday, February 20, 2025, Malian Prime Minister General Abdoulaye Maiga welcomed a delegation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to the Prime Minister’s Office. This visit is part of negotiations aimed at granting a Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) to Mali.
Led by the Minister of Economy and Finance, Alousseni Sanou, the delegation’s objective was to take stock of the ongoing mission and to gather the Prime Minister’s guidance to strengthen the effectiveness of cooperation between Mali and the IMF.
Montie Mlachila, Deputy in the IMF’s African Department and head of the delegation, reaffirmed the institution’s support for Mali’s economic stability and sustainable growth, particularly through economic and financial reforms.
This mission, the third of its kind, reflects the IMF’s renewed confidence in Mali, whose economic growth remains significant despite a difficult global context.
The discussions focused on the granting of a Rapid Credit Facility, an IMF financial instrument designed to provide rapid assistance to countries facing urgent balance of payments needs, often due to exogenous shocks.
This mechanism offers concessional financing with a zero interest rate and advantageous repayment terms, aimed at supporting low-income countries in critical situations.
Under current arrangements, the amount accessible under the RCF can reach up to 50 percent of the country’s quota in the IMF on an annual basis, with a cumulative limit of 100 percent of this quota.
For Mali, whose quota amounts to 186.6 million SDRs (Special Drawing Rights), this represents potential annual access of approximately 93.3 million SDRs, or approximately $120 million.
This meeting comes after an episode of misunderstanding between the IMF and the Malian authorities in January 2025. At that time, closed-door discussions were held to resolve disputes over some of the country’s debts. The
Malian authorities then committed to settling several arrears, with the aim of maximising their chances of obtaining increased financial support from the IMF.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the negotiations and stressed the importance of the IMF as Mali’s privileged partner. He also provided an overview of the socio-political situation in the country, recalling that Mali had, at one point, lost control of 70 percent of its
territory due to insecurity.
This particular situation, according to him, must be taken into account in international decisions concerning
the country.
Maiga reaffirmed the commitment of the transitional authorities to fully assume their responsibilities and
invited the IMF delegation to demonstrate a greater understanding of Malian realities.
He also presented an overview of the Confederation of Sahel States (AES).
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