The Prime Minister of the Congo presented his general political speech to the National Assembly in Brazzaville on Monday. Anatole Collinet Makosso took office on 12 May, clarifying the main tasks of her government.
Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso outlined the 12 major battles his government intends to wage. Firstly, health, with the coronavirus-linked health crisis still ongoing, the recovery of public finances and better debt management, and finally an attempt to fight corruption. One of the government’s goals is to show the IMF that it is making management efforts to finally release the loans that are still frozen by the financial institution.
In particular, he realized the extent of the country’s economic difficulties. “Our financial difficulties, exacerbated by the health crisis, have increased our debt and reduced our ability to service it. We must do everything we can to make public debt sustainable. It currently stands at 98% of GDP. Our goal is to lower it below Cémac’s Community standard, set at 70% of GDP. ”
He already warns Congolese that it will require patience and resilience. And for Clément Miérassa, president of the Congolese opposition alliance, if this speech goes in the right direction, it still needs to be made concrete.
“It’s not about making declarations of intent. It is about proving that they are returning to financial orthodoxy and that we are seriously dealing with those who have embezzled money in this country. Because there are so many of them and they are not worried. Congo is in the top 10 of the most corrupt countries. We have been speaking since 2009 and nothing is moving forward. So we are very, very skeptical. “
Government spokesman Thierry Moungalla assures us that the government will be able to prove to international partners, including the IMF, all its willingness to improve financial and debt management within a few weeks.
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