Conflict and Ebola put DR Congo budget under pressure, IMF says
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Actualité.cd
The IMF says the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the response to Ebola are weighing on public finances, despite a deficit below the ceiling set at the end of June. The institution is urging Kinshasa to accelerate revenue collection and contain the wage bill, according to its 4 November statement.
The IMF estimates that the armed conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the response to the Ebola epidemic are increasing pressure on the state budget for the rest of 2026. The national budget deficit was nevertheless below the ceiling set in the programme at the end of June, according to a statement issued after the mission led by Calixte Ahokpossi, the IMF mission chief, from 22 October to 4 November.
The International Monetary Fund is calling on the Congolese authorities to accelerate measures to increase the revenue planned in the 2026 budget, control the wage bill and reduce non-priority spending. The government has requested more flexible deficit ceilings for 2026 and 2027, as well as increased access to the IMF’s financing mechanisms for epidemics and support for the response. These requests are to be considered by the institution’s executive board.
The mission comes after the death toll linked to Ebola passed 5,000, as announced on 1 November in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Congolese authorities are stepping up their response with support from multilateral and bilateral partners, according to the IMF.
