Zambia has won International Monetary Fund board approval for a $1.3 billion support package, an important step toward the nation restructuring its debt and a boost for the global effort to help indebted developing nations.
The 38-month extended credit facility is based on Zambia’s homegrown economic reform plan that aims to restore macroeconomic stability and foster higher, more resilient, and more inclusive growth,” the Washington-based lender said in a statement on its website Wednesday.
The program will also “catalyze much needed financial support from development partners,” enabling an immediate disbursement equivalent to about $185 million, the fund said.
Zambia became the continent’s first pandemic-era sovereign defaulter in 2020 and was seeking endorsement from the Washington-based lender as the government tries to finalize negotiations to revamp external liabilities that grew to $17.3 billion by the end of last year. Chinese lenders account for more than one-third of its official dollar debt.
The IMF had needed assurances from Zambia’s official bilateral creditors that they were willing to renegotiate. Those came on July 30, opening the way for the board to consider the bailout request after reaching a staff-level deal in December.
Zambia applied to restructure its obligations under the Group of 20’s Common Framework guidelines, which brings together members of the Paris Club of mostly rich creditor nations and China, which has become the world’s biggest official lender. Beijing was reluctant to join at first, preferring to negotiate separately.
“Securing timely restructuring agreements with external creditors will be essential for the successful implementation of the new ECF arrangement,” the fund said.
The progress in Zambia’s restructuring will probably be seen as a boon for the G-20 process after slow movement in the three countries that took it up.
The debt reworking is far from over, and potential hurdles remain. Zambia still needs to negotiate individual restructuring deals with each of its official bilateral creditors. It will also have to seek comparable treatment from private creditors, including the holders of $3 billion in Eurobonds.
