The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has discussed options with Senegal to address the country’s “significant debt vulnerabilities”, a spokesperson for the fund said on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko accused fund officials of pushing for a restructuring of Senegal’s debt, a move he said the government would not accept, which sent the country’s international bonds sharply lower on Monday.
The IMF spokesperson said a discussion of the policy choices Senegal faces was part of the fund’s role to offer expert analysis and advice for government consideration. The IMF held a mission to Dakar that ended last week.
“The choice and specific nature of debt operations, and whether to seek to restructure debt obligations, remains a sovereign decision,” the spokesperson said.
The IMF mission to Senegal ended without an agreement covering a new lending programme. Its previous $1.8bn (R30.8bn) package was frozen last year after the government disclosed hidden debts that are estimated at more than $11bn (R188.7bn)
Reuters