Sierra Leone: Request for Disbursement under the Rapid Credit Facility

IMF Staff Country Reports, March 23, 2021

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Sierra Leone continues to grapple with the serious and persistent economic and social effects of the pandemic.
Containment measures and trade disruptions in 2020 weakened domestic demand and exports and caused domestic revenues to fall.
Food insecurity has risen from its already-high pre-COVID-19 level.
2021 is set to be another challenging year, with the ‘second wave’ of infections and vaccine-related uncertainties posing further risks to the recovery.
As import growth picks up and development partner support returns to pre-2020 levels, Sierra Leone faces urgent external and fiscal financing needs (both around about 2 percent of GDP).
Uncertainty about the outlook and larger near-term financing gaps have impeded the immediate resumption of the program under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF).

The authorities are requesting a disbursement under the Rapid Credit Facility (RCF) of 17 percent of quota (SDR 35.26 million).
This request follows the June 2020 RCF disbursement of 50 percent of quota (SDR 103.7 million).
The requested disbursement would bring total access for the past 12-month period to 82 percent of quota (or 5½ percent of GDP).
Total access of 82 percent of quota is within the 150 percent of quota annual PRGT access limit.

The authorities received debt relief under the Catastrophe Containment and Response Trust (CCRT).
The authorities are participating in the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI).

Subjects: Arrears, Budget planning and preparation, COVID-19, External debt, Public debt
Keywords: CR, emergency financing from the IMF, financing gap, financing situation, ISCR, priority spending, Sierra Leonean authorities

International Monetary Fund. Sierra Leone: Request for Disbursement under the Rapid Credit Facility. March 23, 2021.