The International Monetary Fund said its staff and the Nigerien authorities have reached a staff-level agreement on the ninth review of Niger’s program under the Extended Credit Facility. The agreement still requires approval by the IMF Executive Board, with a Board meeting expected in late July 2026. If the review is completed, Niger would receive SDR 24.0828 million, or about USD 33 million, to help cover external financing needs and support reform implementation. The staff statement described economic growth as robust, at 6.9 percent in 2025 and projected at 7 percent in 2026, driven mainly by agriculture and the extractive sector. Inflation averaged negative 4.7 percent in 2025 and is projected at negative 1.9 percent in 2026, although prices have recently begun to rise. The fiscal deficit came in at 2.9 percent of GDP in 2025, 0.4 percentage points below projection and within the West African Economic and Monetary Union fiscal convergence ceiling of 3 percent of GDP, helped by revenue mobilization and higher crude oil export proceeds. For 2026, the deficit is projected to widen to 3.4 percent of GDP to fund reconstruction after natural disasters and support vulnerable households affected by the commodity price shock, while part of the expected oil windfall will be used to build buffers amid tight financing conditions. Program performance against end-December 2025 and end-March 2026 targets was assessed as satisfactory. The IMF highlighted progress in cash flow management, arrears clearance and transparency, including publication of oil contracts signed between the state and oil companies. It also said the authorities plan to continue structural reforms on revenue mobilization, governance, accountability and transparency, alongside measures to strengthen the banking sector and support private sector-led growth.

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