By Mabinty M. Kamara
The new country representative of the International Monetary Fund, Dr. Monique Newiak and the Head of the IMF Mission Karen Ongley have held talks about deepening ties with the government of Sierra Leone.
Both IMF officials held discussions with President Bio at State House on Monday.
Dr. Monique Newiak is the new IMF representative to Sierra Leone who replaced the out gone Dr. Iyabo Masha, whose tenure of office in Sierra Leone came to an end few months ago.
Ms Ongley is at the head of an IMF Mission in Sierra Leone to review the fiscal policies and other elements surrounding the progress of the country’s economy.
The IMF Mission Chief, Ms Ongley said she was impressed with the government’s strategy on innovation and digitalization. She also said the measures and progress the country has taken so far had been very good.
Dr Newiak said she is motivated to work in Sierra Leone because of the number of reforms that the country has undergone to strengthen its economy for the long-term. She said she will support the reforms through ‘partnership and collaboration’.
In his response to the IMF delegation, President Julius Maada Bio said that Sierra Leone was genuinely committed to making progress economically and socially, adding that his Government was making efforts to surmount the challenges and for which he needed genuine partners. He also assured that his government was willing and ready to partner and collaborate with the Fund to help achieve its goals.
The new IMF country representative joined the organization in 1998. Dr. Newiak is a Senior Economist who has previously served as Mission Chief for West Bank and Gaza and has worked on a wide range of low and middle-income countries, including Afghanistan, Albania, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Nigeria in the IMF’s African Department. Her previous work on the region focused on the production of the biannual Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa and various county assignments across the continent.
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