The World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have agreed that Sierra Leone has made sufficient progress to reach the completion point under the Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. Sierra Leone becomes the 21 st country to reach the completion point under the Initiative.

Debt relief to Sierra Leone under the enhanced HIPC Initiative will amount to US$675.2 million in 2000 net present value (NPV) terms , equivalent to a revised 81.4 percent  NPV reduction of Sierra Leone's debt after traditional debt relief.  This assistance is estimated to correspond to approximately US$994 million in nominal terms.

The debt reduction is attributable to multilateral, bilateral, and commercial creditors. The breakdown by main creditors and creditors groups of the Enhanced HIPC Initiative assistance is as follows (in NPV terms):

IMF: US$125.2 million
IDA: US$123.4 million
AfDB: US$43.4 million
Other Multilateral Creditors: US$48.1 million
Bilateral Creditors: US$244.3 million
Commercial Creditors: US$90.8 million

In reaching the HIPC completion point, Sierra Leone also becomes eligible for further debt relief from the IMF, IDA, and the African Development Fund (AfDF) under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI). Debt relief provided under MDRI will reduce the debt stock by US$556.2 million, in addition to relief received from the three institutions under the HIPC Initiative. MDRI debt relief (net of HIPC assistance) would lead to nominal debt service savings on debt owed to IDA, the IMF and the AfDF of US$609.9 million.

The IMFs debt relief under the MDRI would cover the full stock of debt owed as at the end-2004 that remains outstanding at the completion point. This amounts to US$176  million (equivalent to SDR 117.3 million), of which US$115 million (equivalent to SDR 76.7 million) financed by MDRI and US$61 million (equivalent to SDR 40.6 million) by HIPC. The IMF's MDRI relief will become effective immediately at completion point.

The World Bank's IDA would provide debt relief under the MDRI through a debt stock cancellation of debt disbursed before end-2003 and still outstanding on January 1st, 2007. Debt relief under the MDRI will cancel debt stock owed to IDA amounting to US$326.7 million, in addition to US$173.3 million cancelled as a result of HIPC relief.

Full delivery of debt relief under the HIPC Initiative and the MDRI will significantly reduce Sierra Leones external public debt. In NPV terms, the stock of debt would be reduced from US$1,197.6 million at end-2005 to US$483.0 million at end-2006 after HIPC relief and to US$110.0 million after MDRI. This assistance is estimated to correspond to approximately US$1,603 million in nominal terms.

To reach the completion point, Sierra Leone met the following conditions: (i) preparation of a full PRSP and implementation for at least one year, as evidenced by the joint staff assessment of the PRSP and the countrys annual progress report; (ii) maintenance of macroeconomic stability as evidenced by satisfactory implementation of the PRGF-supported program; (iii) completion of structural measures in the areas of governance and decentralization, private sector development, education and health; and (iv) an increase in spending on designated poverty reducing expenditure priorities that was proportionate to HIPC relief.

"At last Sierra Leone is getting the debt relief that is necessary, said Mats Karlsson, Country Director for Sierra Leone.  US$1.6 billion in nominal terms translates to significant new fiscal space, initially about US$90million a year.  The task now is to have high value-for-money public expenditure.  Sierra Leone needs effective decentralization and full implementation of the Improved Governance and Accountability Pact.  Can Government do it?"

"Sierra Leone has made good progress toward securing macroeconomic stability and established a good track record of policy implementation in 2005 and the first half of 2006," said Norbert To, IMF Mission Chief for Sierra Leone. "Looking forward, a key challenge is to sustain high economic growth rates in order to further reduce poverty while maintaining macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability. Meeting this challenge will require maintaining the momentum for structural and governance reforms, including an increased domestic revenue mobilization effort and continued reforms in public expenditure management. Debt relief at completion point under the enhanced HIPC Initiative and MDRI is an important milestone for Sierra Leone toward debt sustainability while providing more resources for poverty reduction and the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals."