TUNIS — More than any time in the country's past, Tunisia must now engage in reforms to ease the financial and economic strains affecting its trade and balance of payments, according to the governor of the Central Bank of Tunisia, Marouane el-Abassi.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) this month approved the fourth tranche of its $2.8 billion loan to Tunisia, which was arranged in 2016. The $250 million payment brings IMF's total loans to Tunisia so far to approximately $1.14 billion. Speaking at a July 11 press conference in Tunis, Abassi said the country will focus on solving its own economic crisis rather than on participating in the international financial market.