The International Monetary Fund said it expects to dispatch staff to Mozambique in the coming months to assess recent economic developments and government policies, as the Southern African country pursues talks on restoring a formal programme and confronts growing public debt pressures.
Data cited by the Fund show Mozambique's sovereign bond spread - the extra yield investors demand to hold its hard-currency debt over U.S. Treasuries - traded at 1,304 basis points on Tuesday, a level commonly linked to severe financial distress, according to JPMorgan data.
Mozambique's prior IMF programme ended prematurely in April 2025, and the government has been negotiating with the lender of last resort on a potential successor arrangement. The IMF said discussions between officials are expected to continue during the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington in April.
In a response to questions from Reuters, a Fund spokesperson said: "A staff visit to (Mozambique's capital) Maputo to take stock of recent economic developments and government policies is likely to take place in the coming months."
Domestic financing pressures have grown as Mozambique increasingly relies on local sources for funding. The IMF's most recent annual review of Mozambique highlighted that domestic banks - which are the primary purchasers of government debt - have reached the limits of their capacity to absorb more sovereign paper. The Fund also noted net external financing has turned negative, meaning capital outflows now exceed incoming external funding.
A debt report published last week by Mozambique's finance ministry documented mounting fiscal strain. Public debt rose by 6.8% in 2025, reaching 474.0 billion meticais, equivalent to $7.49 billion. At the same time, central bank short-term advances to the government to cover budget shortfalls jumped 176.1% over the year to 49.6 billion meticais, representing 10.5% of domestic debt at the end of the year.
Analysts and policymakers view a sharp increase in central bank financing as a sign of stress in normal funding channels. The article referenced examples from other African countries in which large central bank overdrafts have played a consequential role: Ghana's central bank overdrafts contributed to a full debt restructuring, while Nigeria converted a substantial volume of central bank lending into long-term bonds.
Mozambique's debt difficulties trace back to a 2016 hidden-debt scandal that severely damaged investor confidence and restricted access to external funding. Those problems have been compounded by delays to major gas projects that had been expected to bolster exports, government revenue and public finances.
The IMF visit and ongoing talks are intended to take stock of fiscal metrics and policy responses amid these constraints. Currency conversion in the reported figures used an exchange rate of $1 = 63.2500 meticais.
While the timing and exact outcomes of the staff mission remain to be confirmed, the combination of elevated sovereign spreads, constrained domestic bank capacity and sharply increased central bank advances underline the acute financing pressures facing Mozambique.