Sierra Leone: Eighth Review Under the Extended Credit Facility Arrangement, Request for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criterion, and Financing Assurances Review

President Bio started his second term following the June elections. Allegations of electoral fraud led the opposition to temporarily refuse to participate in any level of governance, but the political stalemate ended in October. The authorities have taken bold steps to tackle macroeconomic imbalances, but reform implementation remains a challenge amid the large adjustment need, a dramatic cost-of-living crisis and the tense political environment. The ECF arrangement—a key policy anchor—is coming to an end with the conclusion of the eighth and final review. The authorities have signaled their interest in a successor ECF arrangement as well as in support under the RST.