This archive report was first published on 17 December 2019.
On December 16, 2019, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced a $368.4 million credit facility for the Democratic Republic of Congo to help the country meet its urgent balance of payment needs.
The IMF stated that the economic environment in the DRC remains challenging and vulnerable to shocks, with real GDP growth projected to decelerate to 4.5 percent in 2019 from 5.8 percent in 2018.
International reserves have fallen to critically low levels, and the IMF noted that the new government, led by President Felix Tshisekedi, is committed to addressing issues related to poor governance, a difficult business environment, and pervasive poverty.
According to Transparency International, the DRC ranked 161 out of 180 on the corruption perceptions index in January 2019.
