CHOMBA MUSIKA
Lusaka
AS THE country seeks to further expand economically, President Hakainde Hichilema has called on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support the Grow Zambia Agenda, which seeks to generate US$65 billion in annual monetary value.
Mr Hichilema said a new programme with the IMF will be complementary to the country’s growth agenda.
The head of State said this yesterday in a message posted on his Facebook page after meeting IMF mission chief for Zambia Edward Gemayel.
“Today (yesterday), we met the IMF mission chief for Zambia, Mr Edward Gemayel, and his team, who are in the country to discuss a successor economic programme.
“Our previous programme with the IMF was successfully concluded in January 2026,” Mr Hichilema said.
The President said he used the meeting to reiterate that growth is critical to Zambia’s economy.
“A new programme with the IMF is complementary to our Grow Zambia Agenda, and we called on the Fund to support it,” Mr Hichilema said.
He said he also bade farewell to the outgoing IMF resident representative, Eric Lautie, who has concluded his tour of duty, commending him for his service to Zambia.
“We welcomed his successor, Mr Reginald Darius. The IMF remains a key partner in our development agenda,” Mr Hichilema said.
Zambia’s 38-month IMF supported Extended Credit Facility (ECF) approved at US$1.3 billion concluded on January 27, 2026 after six reviews.
Government is currently engaging with IMF on a successor programme following the completion of its previous ECDF arrangement.
Last month, the Ministry of Finance and National Planning announced that Government started discussions with an IMF mission on a successor programme to build on restored macroeconomic stability while accelerating investment, exports, diversification and job creation. https://enews.daily-mail.co.zm/welcome/home
