The International Monetary Fund has approved a combined US$445 million disbursement for the Democratic Republic of the Congo after completing key reviews of its lending programmes, saying the country’s economy has remained resilient despite ongoing conflict in the east.
The IMF Executive Board on Friday concluded the second review under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) and the first review under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), clearing the way for an immediate release of funds, the International Monetary Fund said.
The decision allows for the disbursement of 190.4 million Special Drawing Rights (US$261.9 million) under the ECF and 133.25 million SDR (US$183.1 million) under the RSF. Total IMF support to the country under the ECF has now reached 570.9 million SDR (US$785.3 million).
The Fund said economic activity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has remained robust, with real GDP growth projected to exceed 5 percent in both 2025 and 2026, largely driven by strong performance in the mining sector. High copper exports and prices helped strengthen external stability, even as cobalt exports were temporarily suspended for most of 2025.
Inflation has eased sharply, falling from 11.7 percent at the end of 2024 to 2.2 percent in November 2025, reflecting tight monetary policy and a marked appreciation of the Congolese franc. In response, the central bank cut its policy rate from 25 percent to 17.5 percent in early October.
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The IMF noted that programme performance under the ECF has been broadly satisfactory. All end-June performance criteria were met except for a temporary breach related to multiple currency practices, for which the authorities requested and received a waiver. Most reform benchmarks were achieved, with minor delays linked to security-related emergency spending.
Performance under the RSF was also deemed satisfactory, with reforms on climate-related fiscal risks and disaster risk management implemented ahead of schedule.
However, the Fund warned that risks remain elevated. Ongoing armed conflict in eastern Congo continues to strain public finances and deepen humanitarian needs, despite recent peace initiatives, including a US-brokered accord with Rwanda and a Qatar-mediated framework agreement with the M23 rebel group.
“Persistently high security spending and other shocks have weighed on budget execution,” said IMF Deputy Managing Director Kenji Okamura, urging sustained fiscal discipline and stronger coordination between fiscal and monetary policies.
The IMF stressed the need to safeguard social spending, strengthen public financial management, and advance reforms to improve governance, transparency and the business climate. It also called for continued reserve accumulation and measures to reinforce central bank independence.
The Fund said implementation of climate-focused reforms under the RSF would help reduce long-term balance-of-payments risks and support more diversified and inclusive growth.
