Tunisia-PM Mechichi:Tunisia to seek $4 billion IMF loan

Prime Minister told Reuters press agency on Friday, April 30th,20212  that Tunisia will seek a $4 billion loan programme from the International Monetary Fund in talks starting next week, saying politicians faced a “last opportunity” to save the economy.
Mr Mechichi said he expected talks to last about two months and had “confidence” Tunisia could secure financial support to help it through an economic crisis that has been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“All efforts must be unified in Tunisia because we consider that we have reached the last opportunity and we must use it to save the economy,” he told the news outlet.
He said he wanted a three-year loan programme and added that details of an agreement with powerful labour unions, seen as vital to unlock foreign funding, were still being finalised.
The PM pointed out that the finance minister and central bank governor will visit the United States next week to start the negotiations, and he will also go there when a deal is in place.
He said Tunisia would rationalise rather than cut subsidies and said it was considering sales of minority stock it holds in some businesses to raise funds for investment in the most important publicly owned companies.