IMF DMD stresses continuation of govt's economic reform programmes

Visiting International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Deputy Managing Director (DMD) Antoinette Monsio Sayeh has emphasised the continuation of the government's monetary reform measures. 

In a meeting with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Sunday (15 January), the IMF DMD also expressed satisfaction with the various initiatives taken by the government and Bangladesh Bank (BB) to deal with the ongoing economic crisis.

The recent dynamics of the global economy and the ongoing economic situation of Bangladesh were discussed in detail at the meeting held at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka. 

The initiatives the developing and emerging economies should focus on to cope with global inflation, rising interest rates and the Russia-Ukraine War were also discussed in the meeting.

Photo: Courtesy

Mentioning Bangladesh's next goal to become an upper-middle income country by 2031 and a smart and developed one by 2041, the finance minister said, "We need to ensure adequate mobilisation of internal and external resources to achieve our development goals. 

"In this regard, we seek the cooperation of our development partners."

Kamal expressed satisfaction that the IMF initially agreed to provide a loan of $4.5 billion as requested by the Bangladesh government. 

He also thanked the IMF for supporting the reforms proposed by the government in this loan programme.

BB Governor Abdur Rauf Talukdar, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Fatima Yasmin, Secretary of Economic Relations Department Sharifa Khan, Secretary of Financial Institutions Sheikh Mohammad Salim Ullah and Secretary of Energy and Mineral Resources Division Dr Md Khairuzzaman Majumder and other senior officers also attended the meeting.