A report issued by that team said more than 70 percent of Zimbabweans
are still in need of food aid amid an "uncertain" economic outlook for
the country. It says Zimbabwe needs at least $200 million in budgetary
support and at least another $200 million for humanitarian relief in
the areas of food aid, health, and education.
A statement from the board was awaited late Monday. But the panel
seemed likely at least to put its stamp of approval on technical
support for Zimbabwe, proposed by the top IMF official for Africa, as
the country takes initial steps toward recovering full membership.
Zimbabwe’s IMF voting rights were suspended in 2003 over the
non-payment of arrears. The institution had cut off economic aid in
1999, citing a lack of political will to reform.
Zimbabwe owes some US$135 million in debt service arrears to the IMF.
Economist Prosper Chitambara of the Labor and Economic Development
Research Institute of Zimbabwe told VOA reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that
he doesn't see Zimbabwe recovering its membership quite yet because it
still has substantial arrears to the fund.
VOA News
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