Staff Reporter:
Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury yesterday said discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on its new loan program are expected to conclude by January-February next year.
The government has no plan to withdraw from the IMF’s new loan programme, but it is working to align the lender’s conditions and programme with the country’s current economic realities and the government’s own five-year development plan, he said.
“Two working groups, one from each side, are working to resolve the differences with the IMF. The necessary adjustments will be made through discussions, after which the loan programme will proceed in its normal course,” the minister said.
Khosru made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists after inaugurating the two-day ‘International Debt Conference Bangladesh 2026’ at Hotel Ocean Paradise in Cox’s Bazar yesterday.
Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Investment and Capital Market Tanvir Shahriar Ghani, Finance Secretary Dr Md. Khairuzzaman Mozumder, Financial Institutions Division Secretary Nazma Mobarek and senior officials of the Finance Ministry were present.
The finance minister said the government had no intention of ending its relationship with the IMF or discontinuing the loan program. Rather, it wants to implement the program in a manner consistent with the country’s economic realities, public interests and development priorities.
He said the agreement on the existing IMF loan program was reached during the tenure of the previous unelected government. The conditions agreed upon at that time could not be implemented overnight by the present elected government.
Sudden implementation of those conditions could put additional pressure on ordinary people and adversely affect businesses, trade and the overall economy, he added.
The government, therefore, wants to ensure adequate time and a gradual approach to implementing the IMF conditions, the minister said.
He noted that the government had already aligned its development plans with those of the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Similar discussions are now underway to bring the IMF program in line with the government’s priorities and plans.
The minister said a lack of coordination among development partners could create complications in project implementation. The government wants to advance their programs by taking into account the country’s priorities, institutional capacity and prevailing economic conditions.
He reiterated that the government’s position on continuing the IMF loan program was clear, although it was seeking necessary adjustments to the conditions in line with the country’s circumstances.
The two working groups are continuing discussions, and the government expects to complete the negotiations and coordination process by January-February next year. The program is expected to resume its normal pace following the completion of the discussions, he said.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has been organizing its first-ever international conference on public debt management to address the growing debt burden, reduce borrowing costs and risks, and explore new sources of financing for development activities.
