March 31 (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Tuesday it had reached staff-level loan agreements to give Papua New Guinea access to about $216 million, once approved.
The largest economy among Pacific island nations, with mining and energy exports, PNG is battling a protracted balance-of-payments problem by stabilising public finances and long-delayed structural reform, in efforts supported by IMF funding.
The latest pacts cover the sixth reviews of the extended credit facility and the extended fund facility and a third review under the resilience and sustainability facility, the IMF said in a statement.
If approved, Papua New Guinea would receive about $82 million under the first two categories and up to $134 million under the third, the IMF added in the statement, issued after a mission to Port Moresby, the PNG capital.
That would take total IMF disbursement to about $1.06 billion.
The lender forecasts economic growth to slow to 3.8% in 2026 from 5.6% estimated in 2025.
But it expects the PNG economy to stay resilient, even as production of liquefied natural gas production levels off and the Middle East conflict weakens demand for some non-resource exports while lifting import costs, including those of oil.
Headline inflation is projected to rise to 5.0% in 2026, the IMF added.
(Reporting by Carlos Méndez in Mexico City and Lucy Craymer in Wellington; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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