By Enyichukwu Enemanna
President Denis Sassou Nguesso who has ruled Republic of Congo for 42 years has filed a request for new financing programme from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the country’s finance ministry said on Monday.
This comes as an IMF technical team is expected to arrive in the Central African country in the coming weeks.
Congo had in April told investors it had formally requested a fresh IMF programme. It completed its most recent loan programme in March 2025, when the Fund disbursed about 324 million IMF Special Drawing Rights over three years – around $430 million at the time.
The talks with the technical mission will aim to set out the parameters of a new programme tailored to the oil-producing country’s economic priorities, the finance ministry statement said.
President Nguesso won a tightly controlled election in March, securing more than 94% of the vote to extend his over four decades in power. It was his fifth term in office.
His government’s development plan includes consolidating peace and diversifying the economy, finance ministry statement said.
The government is committed to carrying out necessary reforms to promote inclusive growth and expand employment opportunities, it stated.
IMF had in April said an assessment Congo’s economic performance and outlook remained fragile:
“2025 growth remained well below potential as weak public investment and energy supply disruptions weighed on the non-hydrocarbon sector, and medium-term growth prospects have softened for similar reasons.”
