Rwanda: Fourth Review Under the Policy Support Instrument
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International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
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Publication Date:
28 Jan 2016
eISBN:
9781513585567
Language:
English
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; IMF's Policy Support Instrument; export receipt; authority; real GDP; private sector investment; donor project financing; credit growth; budget support; core inflation; broad money growth
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Growth in 2015 has been stronger than expected. Growth was driven by strong activity in agriculture, construction, and services, with the projection for the year increased from 6.5 to 7.0 percent. Inflation remains well contained, although the monetary stance remains accommodative, with higher than expected credit growth. Fiscal policy has been broadly in line with expectations. Recent household survey results show good progress in poverty reduction. However, the outlook for 2016 is darker. An external shock is currently unfolding: mining exports have been almost halved in recent months, due to lower prices and demand in export markets. Combined with US dollar appreciation, this has put strong downward pressure on the Rwandan franc, and prompted a drawdown of international reserves by the banking system. Deterioration of the current account in 2015 is expected to continue in 2016, including due to public infrastructure imports for the Kigali convention center and expansion of RwandAir's fleet.

Abstract

Growth in 2015 has been stronger than expected. Growth was driven by strong activity in agriculture, construction, and services, with the projection for the year increased from 6.5 to 7.0 percent. Inflation remains well contained, although the monetary stance remains accommodative, with higher than expected credit growth. Fiscal policy has been broadly in line with expectations. Recent household survey results show good progress in poverty reduction. However, the outlook for 2016 is darker. An external shock is currently unfolding: mining exports have been almost halved in recent months, due to lower prices and demand in export markets. Combined with US dollar appreciation, this has put strong downward pressure on the Rwandan franc, and prompted a drawdown of international reserves by the banking system. Deterioration of the current account in 2015 is expected to continue in 2016, including due to public infrastructure imports for the Kigali convention center and expansion of RwandAir's fleet.

Recent Developments and Outlook

1. The Rwandan Parliament unanimously approved that the Constitution be amended to permit President Kagame the option to seek another term. When his current term ends in 2017, the amendment would allow the President to seek a third seven-year term, and then make the rule going forward two five-year terms (including for the President). The amendment is likely to garner strong support in a forthcoming domestic referendum.

2. Rwanda’s latest household survey showed a strong improvement in poverty reduction indicators over the past 3 years. Survey results, released in August, showed that poverty reduction, health/education, and living standards indicators improved considerably. Inequality has also maintained its downward trend.

Selected Rwanda Household Survey Indicators

(in percent)

article image
Source: EICV4 household survey

There was a change in methodology in the 2013/14 survey; comparability is being assessed.

3. Growth was robust in the first half of 2015, and inflation was contained (Figures 1 and 2). Real GDP grew by 7.3 percent in the first half and high-frequency indicators suggest that strong activity was maintained through the third quarter. Growth was driven by strong activity in agriculture, construction, and services. Headline inflation (y/y) stood at 2.9 percent in October, reflecting an increase in utility prices, mitigated partly by lower retail fuel prices.

Figure 1.
Figure 1.

Rwanda: Recent Economic Performance

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2016, 024; 10.5089/9781513585567.002.A001

Sources: Rwandan authorities, IMF staff estimates.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.

Rwanda: Selected High Frequency Indicators of Economic Activity

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2016, 024; 10.5089/9781513585567.002.A001

Source: Rwandan authorities' estimates.

4. The fiscal outturn in FY2014/15 was in line with expectations (Tables 2a and 2b). Compared to 5.3 percent targeted, the fiscal deficit was 5.2 percent. Resources were 1.1 percentage points of GDP higher than expected; these financed an increase in spending of 1.3 percentage points of GDP (offset by more spending committed but not yet executed). About half of the higher revenues and spending were for self-financed peacekeeping operations. Collection of direct taxes and VAT was also higher than expected, continuing a gradual trend upward of domestic revenue collection.

Table 1.

Rwanda: Selected Economic and Financial Indicators, 2012–18

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Sources: Rwandan authorities and IMF staff estimates.

Defined as excluding food and fuel.

The savings rate excludes grants.

Imports for 2016 reflect purchases of two aircrafts.

Table 2a.

Rwanda: Operations of the Central Government, Fiscal-Year Basis,1 2012/13–2017/18

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Sources: Rwandan authorities and IMF staff estimates and projections.

Fiscal year runs from July to June.

Includes peacekeeping operations, assistance to victims of genocide, and spending on demobilisaton/reintegration.

Reflects the government's contribution to the Agaciro Development Fund.

Total revenue minus noninterest expenditure.

A negative sign indicates a reduction.

A negative number implies an overerestimate of financing.

Table 2b.

Rwanda: Operations of the Central Government, Fiscal-Year Basis,1 2012/13–2017/18

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Sources: Rwandan authorities and IMF staff estimates and projections.

Fiscal year runs from July to June.

Includes peacekeeping operations, assistance to victims of genocide, and spending on demobilisaton/reintegration.

Reflects the government's contribution to the Agaciro Development Fund.

Total revenue minus noninterest expenditure.

A negative sign indicates a reduction.

A negative number implies an overerestimate of financing.

Table 2c.

Rwanda: Operations of the Central Government, Semi-Annual Basis,1 2014/15–2016/17

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Sources: Rwandan authorities and IMF staff estimates and projections.

Fiscal year runs from July to June.

Includes peacekeeping operations, assistance to genocide victims, and spending on demobilisaton/reintegration.

For the purpose of this presentation, 2014 number includes the contribution to the Agaciro Development Fund.

Total revenue minus noninterest expenditure.

A negative sign indicates a reduction.

A negative number implies an overerestimate of financing.

Table 2d.

Rwanda: Operations of the Central Government, Calendar-Year Basis,1 2015–17

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Sources: Rwandan authorities and IMF staff estimates and projections.

January to December.

Includes peacekeeping operations, assistance to victims of genocide, and spending on demobilisaton/reintegration.

Total revenue minus noninterest expenditure.

A negative sign indicates a reduction.

A negative number implies an overerestimate of financing.

Table 2e.

Rwanda: Operations of the Central Government, Calendar Year Basis,1 2015–17

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Sources: Rwandan authorities and IMF staff estimates and projections.

January to December.

Includes peacekeeping operations, assistance to victims of genocide, and spending on demobilisaton/reintegration.

Total revenue minus noninterest expenditure.

A negative sign indicates a reduction.

A negative number implies an overerestimate of financing.

5. Through end-June, broad money grew much faster than programmed (Table 3, Figure 3). Although reserve money growth was broadly in line with expectations, broad money growth was 16.7 percent (y/y), compared to 8.7 percent in the program. Notwithstanding still-high real lending rates, private sector credit growth was higher than expected, at 27.6 percent (y/y). Although partly mitigated by a reduction in credit from the banking system to the public sector, net domestic assets grew well beyond levels anticipated in the program. At the same time, banking system net foreign assets (NFA) contracted more than envisaged in the program. Financial sector indicators have, on aggregate, continued to improve, with non-performing loans continuing to decline (Table 5).

Table 3.

Rwanda: Monetary Survey, 2012–18

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Sources: National Bank of Rwanda (NBR) and IMF staff estimates and projections.

For program purposes NFA are shown at program exchange rates.

Reserve money as an assessment criteria is measured as the average of the months in the quarter. The actual reserve money is measured as the daily average of the three months in the quarter.

Figure 3.
Figure 3.

Rwanda: Monetary Developments

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2016, 024; 10.5089/9781513585567.002.A001

Sources: Rwandan authorities, IMF staff estimates.
Table 4.

Rwanda: Balance of Payments, 2012–18

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Sources: Rwandan authorities and IMF staff estimates and projections.

From 2010 onward includes the results of the informal cross-border trade survey.

Including interest due to the IMF.

Current transfers include disbursed budgetary and HIPC grants and humanitarian and technical assistance.

Includes project and budgetary loans.

Excluding payments to the IMF.

Other capital includes long-term private capital, commercial credit, change in NFA of commercial banks, and unrecorded imports.

Authorities' definition.

Table 5.

Rwanda: Financial Soundness Indicators for Banking Sector, 2012–15

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Source: National Bank of Rwanda.

6. The trade deficit for the first 3 quarters of 2015 worsened significantly, due to weak mining activity (Table 4 and Figure 4). The main contributing factor was a sharp drop in mining exports due to both lower prices and production (by 18 percent and 34 percent, respectively), resulting in a near halving of mining exports (from US$203 million in 2014 to US$110 million in 2015). While mining accounts for less than 2 percent of GDP, mining exports were more than 25 percent of total goods exports in 2014. At the same time, strong growth, particularly in construction, led to higher-than-expected capital and consumer goods imports. This should result in a larger current account deficit, increasing to 14.5 percent in 2015.

Figure 4.
Figure 4.

Rwanda: External Sector Developments

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2016, 024; 10.5089/9781513585567.002.A001

Sources: Rwandan authorities, IMF staff estimates.

7. The Rwandan franc depreciated by roughly 6 percent in the first three quarters of 2015. While depreciation against the US$ was less than other EAC countries, it is the highest rate of depreciation in a decade. Cumulatively, the Rwandan franc has depreciated by 21.7 percent since January 2012, compared to 4.2 percent in the previous 7 years. Demand for the US dollar has increased in recent years due to growing import demand, a relatively narrow export base, and a move by development partners away from budget support. However, needs were particularly acute this year, reflecting developments in the mining sector, putting strong downward pressure on the value of the franc, and resulting in a sharp drawdown of commercial banks’ foreign exchange holdings. The authorities emphasized that some of the demand pressures were speculative. Depreciation of the franc so far has not had a profound effect on inflation, since Rwanda’s imports, relative to exports, are skewed toward intra-regional trade and the franc has appreciated against neighboring countries, which saw greater depreciation still against the US$.

A01ufig1

Rwandan Franc/US$ Exchange Rate Depreciation since January 2012

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2016, 024; 10.5089/9781513585567.002.A001

8. The growth outlook for 2016-18 is somewhat weaker, with growth reverting back to potential thereafter. The authorities and the mission agreed on a revised baseline with somewhat lower growth in 2016-18, as a result of lower mining activity, with projections for 2016 revised to 6.3 percent. Inflation is expected to pick up somewhat, responding to currency depreciation and higher import commodity prices, but should remain at or below the BNR’s target of 5 percent.

Program Performance

9. All quantitative targets of the program, except one, were met through end-June (Table 6). The indicative ceiling on accrual of consolidated domestic debt of the public sector was exceeded by a minor margin, owing to temporary bridge financing for peacekeeping operations (which has now been added as a program adjustor). All other fiscal and monetary ceilings/floors were respected.

Table 6.

Rwanda: Quantitative Assessment Criteria and Indicative Targets as of end-June 20151

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Sources: Rwandan authorities and IMF staff estimates and projections.

All items including adjusters are defined in the Technical Memorandum of Understanding (TMU).

Assessment criteria for non-concessional external borrowing and arrears are continuous

End-June 2015 program numbers are at the old program exchange rate of RWF694.4.

Subject to adjustors. See TMU for details.

Targets are an arithmetic avg. of the stock of reserve money for the 3 months in the quarter. AC applies to upper bound only.

Numbers for 2015 are cumulative from 12/31/2014. The figure excludes demobilization and AU peace keeping operations.

Excluding NBR's debt issued for monetary policy purposes.

Excluding demobilization and African Union peace keeping operations, HIPC grant, and COMESA compensation grant.

10. Performance in implementing structural benchmarks through end-September was satisfactory (Table 7). Of four structural measures to be implemented through end-September, three were completed. Publication of quarterly budget execution was delayed due to difficulties in reconciling donor project financing and spending. The measure has been revised to allow for a longer time period to produce the report, which will initially exclude foreign-financed project financing and spending, with the first report based on Q4 2015 budget execution.

Table 7.

Rwanda: Status of Structural Benchmarks for 4th Review

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Policy Discussions

11. Discussions focused on balancing the short-term policy response to an unfolding shock with policies to support long-term development goals. Balance of payments pressures are expected to persist in 2016 as a result of a combination of reduced forex inflows and strong import demand, mitigated partly by accelerated budget support by the World Bank and the AfDB. In response, it was agreed that:

  • continued exchange rate flexibility should restrain import demand; reserve money targets will be tightened modestly to reign in demand, including for imports;

  • the fiscal stance will be left unchanged in FY15/16 relative to FY14/15, as the extent and duration of the shock are being assessed, and tightened starting in FY16/17, in line with the already-agreed program; and

  • some use of central bank forex reserves would avoid sharp adjustment for now, but efforts should be made to rebuild buffers over the medium term.

The authorities and the mission agreed to keep a close eye on mining sector developments and adjust the policy mix if needed. The mission emphasized that, should the shock intensify or be prolonged, more fiscal and exchange rate adjustment would be warranted.

12. For the medium term, in line with their Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) II and EAC integration, the authorities will continue to:

  • continue public investment spending (at somewhat lower levels, following large one-off infrastructure projects in FY15/16), while mitigating fiscal risks and safeguarding debt sustainability, including by bolstering domestic revenue mobilization;

  • improve resilience to external shocks and encourage more private-sector led growth, encourage more private sector investment, including to diversify the export base and foster more import substitution;

  • strengthen monetary transmission mechanisms for more reliance on indirect monetary policy instruments, encourage deeper financial markets and better price signals in the forex market.

A. Fiscal Policy

13. A revised FY15/16 budget law will maintain the fiscal deficit at 5.3 percent of GDP. The deficit reflects a broadly neutral fiscal stance compared to FY14/15, but is expansionary compared to the original program projection of 4.6 percent of GDP. This reflects mainly higher spending in the second half of the year, financed roughly equally by higher domestic and external financing. The increased spending is for numerous priority projects (e.g. hiring more teachers for training programs, voter registration and equipment purchases, power projects, and extension of the one-cow-per-family program).

MEFP ¶25-29

14. The authorities plan to continue boosting domestic revenue collection. A number of tax policy and tax administration measures are underway to enhance revenue collection in line with EAC convergence targets. These include the rollout of a new road fund levy, an excise tax for strategic reserve, higher taxes on tobacco, and changes to the mining tax regime – as well as measures to improve compliance, including the use of electronic billing machines for VAT collection. FAD’s Tax Administration Diagnostic Tool (TADAT) recently identified strengths (e.g. information, external audit, dispute resolution, annual reporting), as well as areas for improvement (e.g. taxpayer databases, risk-management practices, and tax arrears), which the authorities are heeding closely (Box 1). Most of these measures should bear fruit by FY16/17, but in the absence of firm estimates of their impact the authorities prefer to keep conservative projections for the medium term.

MEFP ¶30-31

Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) Efforts to Recoup Tax Arrears

From December 2014-June 2015, the RRA temporarily reassigned tax auditors to bolster the enforcement division six-fold to address tax arrears by small and medium taxpayers. The task included: cataloguing tax arrears of small and medium taxpayers; negotiating installment payments; profiling taxpayers’ immovable assets as collateral for future payments; and analyzing and categorizing arrears cases for litigation based on the probability of successful recovery. Various enforcement actions were taken, including: garnishing wages; publishing names of tax evaders in the newspaper; and blacklisting evaders from public tendering.

As a result of these measures, the monthly average collection rate from this group of taxpayers has increased from RWF 0.4 billion to RWF 1.1 billion. Moreover, the RRA has begun taking action on taxpayers that file returns but do not pay the tax due, to ensure that arrears do not accumulate going forward.

A01ufig4

Tax Revenue, RWF billions

Citation: IMF Staff Country Reports 2016, 024; 10.5089/9781513585567.002.A001

15. The authorities are also reinforcing efforts to mitigate fiscal risks from state-owned enterprises. To improve operational efficiency, the water and electricity companies were split into two separate entities, to be run on a more commercial basis. To cover costs of the operational reforms and ensure full cost recovery going forward, tariffs for water and electricity were increased by 19 and 35 percent respectively, effective September 1, 2015. Energy subsidies in Rwanda previously amounted to about 0.5 percent of GDP. The new entities are now expected to begin generating operating surpluses in the coming months, which will be used to improve service delivery and expand investment.

MEFP ¶6

16. Recent reforms also aim at improving public financial management and value-for-money in public investment. This includes developing a roadmap to implement the latest public accounting standards, required for EAC integration, but also capable of accounting for fixed assets, a development area identified by past assessments. The authorities are putting in place an “e-procurement” system to make bidding processes more transparent and link functions to IFMIS. Two years ago, a Public Investment Committee (PIC) was established at the Ministerial level to consult on investment projects at the budget planning stage—the PIC reviews and prioritizes investment projects, according to a strict set of criteria applied for projects throughout the country. Planning, monitoring, and evaluation functions for public investment have recently been consolidated to enhance coordination across the stages and improve feedback between project evaluation and future planning.

MEFP ¶32

17. On the basis of these measures, the authorities plan to reduce the deficit in the medium term along the lines agreed in the 3rd review, however, with larger adjustment in FY 16/17 and FY 17/18. The mission welcomed the aforementioned measures, but questioned whether the pace of deficit reduction over the medium-term was sufficiently ambitious, and suggested that more would be needed if the mining shock proved more profound than currently assumed. As information about the extent of the shock becomes clearer in the coming months, the authorities agreed to prepare a downside scenario, to be discussed in the 5th review mission, which would spell out potential additional adjustment policies over the medium term.

MEFP ¶25

B. Debt Sustainability

18. Rwanda remains at low risk of external debt distress (Annex 2). External public debt has increased in recent years, rising from around 17 percent of GDP in 2012 to 24 percent in 2014. The increase reflects a shift from donors’ provision of grants toward concessional lending, as well as several non-concessional loans incurred to finance the purchase and lease of new aircraft for RwandAir and the completion of the long-awaited Kigali Convention Center. Following this borrowing, the authorities are aware that careful debt management will be needed to maintain the low risk of debt distress rating. Thus, the medium-term debt profile anticipates borrowing exclusively on concessional terms through 2020, with a reduction in donor reliance thereafter. To achieve this, the authorities have therefore developed new more rigorous processes for the issuance of guarantees, along with the aforementioned framework to prioritize investment projects. Domestic debt has increased from 0.2 percent of GDP in 2012 to 6.2 percent in 2014, reflecting efforts to establish a longer yield curve and stronger secondary markets to help bolster the monetary transmission mechanism (paragraph 21).

MEFP ¶33

C. Monetary Policy and Financial Sector Issues

19. Reserve money targets have been kept in line with the program at end-December and in 2016, despite stronger growth in 2015. This should help contain inflation and overall demand, including for imports, in 2016. Consequently, broad money growth of 14.7 percent is expected in 2016, relative to 15.8 in 2015 and private sector credit growth is expected to moderate to 16.2 percent in 2016, relative to 24.6 percent this year. The mission emphasized that strong domestic credit and import growth could be difficult to contain and lead to larger foreign exchange shortages next year. The authorities concurred with the mission that the monetary policy stance would need to be reassessed should external developments worsen.

MEFP ¶34

20. Financial sector indicators have, on aggregate, continued to improve, with non-performing loans continuing to decline. Staff inquired about possible signals of overheating indicated by the pace of credit growth, particularly in the construction and hotel sectors. The NBR responded that it is in the process of reinforcing financial supervision, including macro-prudential analysis, but emphasized that a significant part of the construction boom was being financed from external sources and not by domestic banks.

MEFP ¶18

21. Reforms are ongoing to bolster the operational and supervisory frameworks. The NBR is continuing efforts to develop the interbank and secondary markets to improve the monetary transmission mechanism and to bolster financial inclusion and deepening. One new private bank has started operations, but rigid lending rates remain an ongoing concern. The authorities are finalizing the plans to consolidate savings and credit cooperatives (SACCOs), and to strengthen the AML/CFT framework. Draft laws to improve central bank oversight over non-banks are underway, as is a law to allow establishment of private pensions. A revised deposit insurance law will extend protection to smaller depositors.

MEFP ¶19-20, 40

D. External policies

22. The current account deficit is projected to increase further in 2016, to over 15 percent of GDP, following recent trends and cyclical developments (Figure 4). Due to imports growing faster than exports both trade and current account deficits have increased gradually, exacerbated by a trend from external grants to loans. Recent trends in mining contributed to weak exports in 2015 and should continue to do so in 2016, before the situation is expected to stabilize. Monetary and exchange rate policies should help contain private import demand, but the purchases and leases of aircraft by RwandAir and imports for the Kigali Convention Center (KCC) will lead to a temporary spike in imports in 2016. Financing for government imports will be provided by donors’ agreement to accelerate 2017 budget support into the second half of 2016, and non-concessional loans for RwandAir and KCC.

MEFP ¶37-39

Summary of Main Changes to External Projections

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Mainly reflecting accelerated construction of Kigali Convention Center

Including refinancing of aircraft purchases.

Including NFA of commercial banks.

23. The authorities agreed that continued flexible exchange rate policies will be the principal tool for alleviating external pressures. The authorities agreed that continued exchange rate flexibility would be needed to restrain import demand, given the drop in projected inflows. The mission expressed concerns that modest adjustment of the monetary stance, combined with the projected fiscal stance, might be inadequate to moderate still-strong import demand. The authorities felt that some use of reserve buffers in 2016 would be appropriate to cushion adjustment while the effects and duration of the shock are still being evaluated.

24. Over the medium term, the authorities are taking numerous measures to support export diversification and private sector investment. The Rwandan Development Board and the Ministry for Trade and Industry are engaged in a number of activities to attract investors and encourage exports (Box 2). In particular, tourism is a central aspect of the export strategy, with an already-evident increasing attractiveness for business tourism.

Rwanda’s Export Diversification Strategy and the “Northern Corridor”

Rwanda’s ambitious development goals give rise to forex needs that have necessitated a strong focus on expansion and diversification of the export sector and reducing the costs of trade. Elements of the strategy include:

  • The MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, events) strategy, which aims to accommodate more and larger-scale business events/tourism. The Kigali Convention Center is a key ingredient and is anticipated to be finished for the May 2016 World Economic Forum (Africa), as well as numerous other high-level conferences scheduled in 2016. Four new executive hotels are under construction and RwandAir is scaling up, including new routes (e.g. India and China). It is hoped that growth of tourism-related receipts will increase to 20 percent per year in 2017-18.

  • Development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs), recognizing the need to broaden and increase the value-added of Rwanda’s exports. The SEZs provide needed business infrastructure in a single location (“plug and play”), e.g. electricity, internet, proximity to the airport, and benefit from preferential tax treatment. In the first phase of Kigali’s SEZ, 61 businesses have been established in the space of two years, exporting, for example, garments, baby food, airline food, and green beans.

  • Trade with DRC, which has increased significantly in recent years, arising mainly from the export of non-traditional crops and re-exporting goods initially intended for the Rwandan market. Re-exports have increased as a share of total goods exports to 26 percent, up 15 points from 5 years ago. The World Bank recently initiated new project financing, shared between DRC, Rwanda and Uganda, to provide logistical support at the Lake Kivu border crossings.

  • Opening up the “Northern Corridor”—in negotiations with Uganda and Kenya—to reduce the costs of transport and increase operational efficiency. Achievements so far include: a single network area with reduced roaming charges; use of national IDs for travel; a single tourist visa; reduced intra-country airfares; waiver of work permit fees; single custom-cargo tracking system; reduced days of transport for cargo trucks from Mombasa (from 16 to 4-5 days from Mombasa to Kampala, and from 22 to 8 days to Kigali). Construction of a long-awaited railway line is underway between Mombasa and Nairobi.

Program Risks

25. The growth and external outlook is subject to downside risks. The authorities and staff agreed on a growth projection of 6.3 percent for 2016. This reflects continued implementation of accommodative fiscal policies and strong performance in construction and business tourism, with the long-delayed Kigali Convention Centre coming into operation as well as progress on various power projects. However, a more profound impact on mining than expected, more fiscal and monetary adjustment than currently foreseen, or a shock affecting business tourism could result in lower growth. Another risk is that the mix of agreed policies may prove insufficient should the shock intensify.

26. A worsening of the situation in Burundi could have implications for Rwanda. About 75,000 of the estimated 200,000 refugees have crossed into Rwanda. The government, with support from development partners, has set up camps to accommodate and provide for the refugees. Notwithstanding higher government spending for humanitarian and peacekeeping operations, this has also increased the demand for imports and foreign exchange.

Program Modalities

27. Table 1 of the MEFP contains minor revisions to end-December 2015 quantitative targets and sets new targets for end-June 2016. All modifications to end-December targets represent more stringent program targets as compared to the 3rd review of the program, except for the target on accrual of general government domestic debt. This was increased somewhat to allow for bridge financing of Q4 expenditures, which will ultimately be covered by donor support that tends to come very late in the year. The NDF target is tightened substantially, reflecting a shift in the mix between domestic and more frontloaded external financing.

28. Proposed program monitoring has been altered to reflect the IMF’s new debt limit policy. A new QAC has been introduced on the overall fiscal deficit. However, given difficulties in reconciling external-financed project spending and financing, for an initial period the deficit will be measured on a commitment basis with an adjustor added to account for discrepancies in externally-financed investment spending. Limits on net domestic financing and non-concessional borrowing will be retained as indicative targets. The authorities favored retaining a modified version of the latter target, noting that it has historically been relevant only for state-owned enterprises, which are not captured under a central government fiscal deficit criterion. Since all concessional borrowing takes place via the central government, the new QAC and IT provide universal coverage of accrual of new external debt.

29. Forward-looking structural benchmarks are contained in MEFP table 2. These include rephasing of some reforms that were scheduled for end-December 2015, notably a study on agricultural taxes (which has faced delays in identifying an expert). The end-December measure to migrate one district of Kigali to the new system for real estate taxes has been removed since the new fixed asset law will require all districts to migrate concurrently in early 2016. New proposed structural reforms were agreed through the end of the program period, including in the aforementioned areas of increasing tax revenues, strengthening public financial management and deepening financial markets.

Staff Appraisal

30. Progress in stimulating high growth, reducing poverty, and maintaining macroeconomic stability has continued. As evidenced in growth rates and improved household survey indicators, Rwanda’s performance continues to be strong. Forward-looking policies to sustain growth, create jobs, and improve resilience to external shocks over the medium term should continue these trends. The public investment program is focused on growth-enhancing infrastructure and productivity-enhancing education and health programs. The government’s active efforts to encourage private investment, diversify exports, and develop niche tourism should help shift the balance of growth towards the private sector and make the country less vulnerable to commodity price movements and trends in external development assistance.

31. Ongoing structural reforms will reinforce the foundation for sustained and inclusive medium-term growth, while strengthening resilience. Continued efforts to boost domestic revenue collection should yield fruit, while better investment planning, more transparent budget execution and improved public financial accounting should make public spending more efficient. NBR efforts to expand access to financial services and deepen financial markets can help provide needed capital for more private sector-led growth, and prepare the country for integration with larger markets within the EAC and beyond. The authorities’ focus on a conservative external borrowing strategy is appropriate to maintain a low-risk debt position. With the change in program debt limits, attention to rigorous debt sustainability analysis and tracking public sector contingent liabilities become even more critical.

32. The current shock to mineral exports requires continued exchange rate flexibility. The decline in mineral exports underscores the importance of the authorities’ efforts already underway to diversify and expand the export base. Continued exchange rate flexibility will help cushion the shock, while some use of reserve buffers will avoid sharp adjustment for the time being, although efforts to rebuild buffers over the medium term will be needed.

33. In the short term, downside risks remain. The external position remains vulnerable to further shocks to mineral exports, and the front-loading of donor support in 2015/16 will put pressure on financing in the subsequent year. Hence, the authorities should be prepared to act quickly if additional fiscal and monetary policy adjustment is needed. Notably, the NBR should stand ready to tighten the monetary stance if external circumstances and/or the foreign exchange constraint worsen. Reserve levels, while declining, remain adequate for now, but will eventually need to be buttressed to restore buffers and improve external resilience.

34. Staff recommends completion of the fourth review under the PSI and revision of end-December quantitative and structural program targets.

Appendix I. Letter of Intent

Kigali, Rwanda

December 17, 2015

Ms. Christine Lagarde

Managing Director

International Monetary Fund

700 19th Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C., 20431

Dear Ms. Lagarde,

The attached memorandum of economic and financial policies (MEFP) is an update of the April 2015 MEFP and sets out the macroeconomic policies of the Rwandan government for the remainder of fiscal year 2015/16 and the medium term.

Although growth has been stronger than expected in 2015, with projections revised upward to 7%, an unanticipated external shock to Rwanda’s main commodity export has begun to unfold this year. A sharp drop in mineral prices and in global demand for those products has resulted in an unexpected significant loss of export receipts and international reserves of the banking system. Inflation has remained low with an annual average of 2.0% through end-September, reflecting the general decline in international energy prices and solid agricultural harvest.

Program performance under the new PSI has been reasonable. All end-June 2015 quantitative Assessment Criteria (QAC) were met. However one of the four indicative targets was not met. As a result of bridge financing to compensate for delays in donor disbursements for peacekeeping operations, the target on the consolidated domestic debt of the public sector was exceeded by a small margin.

Despite some setbacks, the government believes its performance continues to reflect its commitment to sound policies, and it thereby requests the completion of the fourth review under the PSI. Based on the revised forward-looking macroeconomic framework, the government also requests modification of the quantitative assessment criteria for end-December 2015 and approval of new targets for end-June 2016.

The government believes that the policies and measures set forth in the MEFP will deliver the objectives of the PSI-supported program but we will take any further measures that may become appropriate for this purpose. The Government will consult with the IMF—at its own initiative or whenever the Managing Director of the IMF requests such a consultation—before the adoption of any such measures or changes to the main policies described in the attached MEFP.

The government will provide the IMF with such information as the IMF may request in connection with the progress made in implementing the economic and financial policies and achieving the objectives of the program. The fifth review will take place before end-June 2016.

The Government of Rwanda authorizes the publication and distribution of this letter, its attachments, and all reports prepared by the IMF staff.

Sincerely yours,

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Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies—Update

December 17, 2015

1. This MEFP update reviews performance under the PSI-supported program through end-June 2015 and discusses the macroeconomic outlook and policies for the remainder of FY2015/16 and outlines broad macroeconomic policy intentions for the medium term, past the expiry of the PSI-supported program. It also lays out proposed quantitative and structural targets for end-December 2015 and end-June 2016. As has been the case in the past, policy formulation in all areas takes into account Rwanda’s commitments to the East African Community.

Recent Economic and Policy Performance
Introduction

2. Rwanda experienced a strong economic performance in the first semester of the year. GDP expanded by 7.0 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2015, following growth of 7.6 percent in the first quarter, yielding a 2015 first semester growth rate of 7.3 percent. Year-over-year inflation in October 2015 was 2.9 percent, with an annual average rate at 2.0 percent. Overall inflation throughout 2015 has been moderated, mainly by the decline in international energy prices.

Growth and Inflation

3. Looking at the first semester of 2015, industry rebounded compared to 2014, with growth of 8.5 percent. Within the sector, growth was driven by construction, which grew by 13.0 percent. It contributed one percentage point to total GDP growth. Mining dragged the industry sector’s overall growth down (contracting by 7.0 percent in the first half of the year), due to weak international prices for minerals. Manufacturing is recovering, following a weak performance by the main brewery in 2014.. Services expanded by 7.0 percent in the first semester of 2015. The retail and wholesale trade sub-sector was the main driver of growth, as usual, but information and communication services have also been rapidly expanding, albeit from a small base. This is due to the impact of foreign investment in the sector in recent years.

4. From the demand side, the strength of private sector activity is very evident in the first nine months of the year, supported by an expansion of private sector credit of 20.9 percent. Private consumption also expanded by 12.5 percent in the first semester of 2015, despite the aforementioned decline in minerals earnings, which negatively affected incomes and consumption of those citizens and their families that depend on mining. Government consumption contracted compared to the year before (reflecting back loading of current expenditure to the second half of fiscal year 14/15, i.e. in the January-June 2015 period), yet private sector activity was not impacted. In fact, its expansion in the first semester was the highest on record since 2008. Consumer spending has been stimulated by a low price environment, and also supported by the influx of many Burundians resettling in urban areas of Rwanda. Investment growth mirrored the growth in construction on the supply-side.

5. Inflation, both headline and core, was well contained, with the former standing at 2.9 percent year-on-year in October 2015 and the latter at 1.3 percent. Average headline inflation of 2.0 percent for the year is one of the lowest rates in the last decade, reflecting both low food and energy prices in the earlier months of the year. September’s year-on-year inflation of 3.7 percent was the highest rate so far in 2015, reflecting typical food price behavior at this time of the year between the two main harvests and utility price increases (paragraph 5). Imported inflation has contributed very little to rising prices so far in 2015, as the Franc, while depreciating by about 6 percent against the USD, has appreciated against the currencies of most of the regional trading partners such as Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. Moreover, the favorable energy price environment has quelled inflation during the year and, given Rwanda’s land-locked status, also reduced unit prices for all other import categories (capital, intermediate and consumption goods). However, administered retail fuel prices did not capture the full drop in international prices. The price of food imports has contracted by 10.9 percent this year, which has further kept inflation subdued.

6. On 1st September 2015, utility prices increased in Rwanda. Electricity prices increased for low-voltage users (i.e. residential and small businesses) by 35 percent; there was no increase for high-voltage (i.e. industrial) users. Water is charged on a per use basis, but the average price increase was 19 percent. Water prices had not risen in a decade. The impact on inflation (and consumer expenditure) is expected to be temporary. No impact is expected for industrial production as electricity prices for that category of consumers remain unchanged. The impact of water prices are expected to rise but will have very small effect on overall inflation. Despite this one-off increase in prices, more fundamental inflationary pressures are however expected to remain low.

External developments

7. Overall, the trade deficit has narrowed slightly so far in 2015. At US$1.32 billion for the first nine months, the deficit is 1.9 percent less than the same period a year ago. The fall in mineral export prices has been offset by the fall in energy import prices, but this offsetting impact is expected to taper in the rest of the year and into 2016. However, the overall balance of payments was in deficit and, as programmed, there has been substantial use of central bank reserves over the course of the year. However, this would have been larger still, if there had not been significant use of commercial bank reserves.

8. Between January and September of this year, formal imported goods contracted by 3.0 percent. This drop is primarily caused by a decline in energy prices (with US$ unit values of energy imports down 30.6 percent compared to the same nine month period the year previously), which was partly offset by franc depreciation. On a volume basis, capital imports grew by 14.8 percent while intermediates expanded by 10 percent in the year to September. These trends have supported real GDP growth so far during the year, particularly in the construction and manufacturing sectors.

9. Formal exports contracted by 6.4 percent over the first nine months of this year compared to the same period a year ago, due to a 40 percent drop in the value of minerals exports in the first three quarters compared to the previous year. Prices for coltan, cassiterite (tin), and wolfram fell sharply, mirroring global demand for such commodities. On the other hand, non-traditional exports (composed of horticultural, milling, agricultural and construction products) have performed very well in the first 9 months of 2015, expanding by 15.9 percent. These exports have higher value added compared to traditional commodity exports and serve regional trading partners, boding well for more resilient export performance over time. The one traditional export to perform well in the first three quarters of 2015 was tea, where large international price increases and a good harvest resulted in a 42.6 percent increase over the same period a year before (although 2014 was a particularly poor year for tea prices, so some of the rise is due to base effects).

10. Based on export performance for the first three quarters, in particular a halving of mineral export receipts, export projections for 2015 have been revised downward, from US$742 to US$664. Lower than expected foreign exchange earnings have caused large scale use of the international reserves of the banking system. The central bank realized the full programmed use of its reserves, which were US$986 million at the beginning of 2015, falling to US$853.4 million by end June. Thanks to some large disbursements of donor budget support that will be moved forward into CY 2015, central bank reserves are expected to meet the end-December program floor of US$ 879 million. However, to sustain imports and activity, commercial banks were also obliged to use a significant amount of reserves. Commercial banks’ NFA of US$ 150.6 million at end December 2014 was reduced to US$92.9 million by end-June and are projected to remain at this level till end December 2015..

Fiscal developments

11. The FY 2014/15 fiscal deficit was slightly lower than programmed, at 5.2 percent of GDP. Net domestic finance for FY 2014/15 amounted to RWF 108 billion which was RWF10.8 billion lower than projected in the revised budget. The figure for domestic finance includes RWF 39 billion of offsetting accumulated deposits in donor project accounts.

12. On the revenue side, total domestic tax collections exceeded the revised estimate by RWF 26 billion (0.5 percent of GDP), although performance under subcategories varied. In particular, direct taxes over-performed, including local property taxes. Additional payments for the financing of Peace Keeping Operations boosted non-tax revenue, and grants surpassed expectations due to additional disbursements from the Global Fund. As a result, total revenue and grants, at RWF 1,418.7 billion, exceeded the revised budget estimate by RWF 63.7 billion (1.1 percent of GDP).

13. Total expenditure and net lending, at RWF 1,697 billion, exceeded revised budget projections by RWF 50 billion (0.8 percent of GDP). However, these were for categories of spending that are not financed out of general budget resources, namely additional outlays for Peace-Keeping Operations and accelerated implementation of foreign-financed infrastructure projects for energy and roads.

14. Outlays for priority spending accounted for the largest share of total expenditure. These included infrastructure, particularly energy and roads, as well as programs and projects associated with poverty reduction and social protection, especially in the areas of agriculture, education, health and local government activities.

Selected Priority Spending in Fiscal Year 2014/15 (as % GDP)

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Monetary developments

15. Monetary policy in 2015 continued to remain accommodative. This monetary policy stance was designed to support the gradual recovery in economic activity after the slowdown since 2013. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) therefore decided to keep the policy rate (the Key Repo Rate-KRR) at 6.5 percent in force since June 2014 to support the financing of the private sector by the banking sector and ensure positive real interest rates to stimulate domestic savings. Broad money grew by 15.9 percent from end-December 2014 to end-September 2015, compared to 17.5 percent in the same period of 2014, and was driven mainly by increases in credit to government and the private sector, offset by sharp drops in net foreign assets (which appear larger in US$ terms than in RWF terms, due to the use of a program exchange rate that reflected a much stronger RWF). In a context of strong growth, accommodative monetary policy and ample liquidity in the banking system, growth in credit to the private sector for the first three quarters of 2015stood at 20.9 percent, slightly higher than programmed.

16. The foreign exchange (forex) market in Rwanda is operating in a structural deficit, due to a narrow export base and strong imports underpinning high growth, exacerbated by recent trends in donor support (away from budget support grants to more project lending). This situation was exacerbated by recent cyclical developments related to mining exports, leading to the aforementioned drawdown in commercial banks’ forex reserves. This situation, coupled with the continued strengthening of US dollar, has put pressure on the value of the Rwandan franc. In cumulative terms, the depreciation of Rwandan franc between 2012 and 2015 will be at around 21.3%, compared to 4.2% recorded between 2004 and 2011. Pressure on the Rwandan franc was also fuelled by speculation from cash traders in July-August. The NBR increased NBR sales to the market in an attempt to mitigate the speculative pressure.

17. The NBR also continued efforts to strengthen the channel of transmission whereby policy interest rates influence market interest rates and inflation. While significant progress has been achieved, there remains room for improvement, particularly as regard development of an interbank market and a secondary market for government securities. The NBR is working on the regulatory framework to shift from the simple interbank operations to a true Horizontal REPO. Moreover, efforts are underway to identify and tackle factors that lead to high and rigid bank lending rates.

The BNR and the government are also continuing efforts to deepen shallow financial markets. A ten-year bond was issued this year, to complement the 3, 5, and 7-year bonds already in circulation. In addition, efforts were made to widen the base of investors, with institutional investors’ participation share rising to 50 percent from 10 percent last year, and retail investors’ share increasing from 1 to 4 percent.

Financial sector developments

18. Rwandan financial soundness indicators suggest a banking system in sound health: banks are well capitalized and adequately liquid, and asset quality continue to improve. In both sub-sector (banks and MFIs) this capital level remains significantly above the prudential CAR of 15 percent. The ratio of liquid assets to total deposits (which measures the banks’ ability to meet liquidity needs) stood at 49.5 percent as at June 2015 and far above the regulatory minimum of 20 percent. The quick liquidity ratio of MFIs (liquid assets/current liabilities) was 95.4 percent and significantly above 30 percent regulatory requirement. Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) of banks declined from 6 percent in December 2014 to 5.9 percent in June 2015. In the same period, NPLs of MFIs however increased from 7 percent to 7.4 percent. To curb NPLs in the MFIs, the NBR is conducting a round of on-site inspection in all 416 SACCOs, targeting mainly loan portfolio management. This exercise is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2016.

Performance Indicators for the Banking System and Microfinance Sector

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19. The NBR continued to strengthen its supervision function. The capacity of supervisors is continually enhanced through both in-house and external training (EAC and the IMF’s East Afritac), while the retention rate of supervisors has improved over the past 3 years. In collaboration with regional central banks, the NBR closely monitored cross-border banking activity to identify any contagion risks. MOUs for information exchange between home supervisors of regional banks and local supervisors have been signed. Regular supervisory colleges (supervisory meetings on regional banks) were organized to discuss financial soundness and inherent risks of regional banks.

20. The NBR is also making good progress in reviewing legal and supervisory frameworks, as well as strengthening contingency planning. A new Central Bank Law was approved by Cabinet in October 2015. The Central Bank Law is the legal framework which defines the organization structure and guides the activities of the Central Bank of Rwanda (BNR). A new pension law, which provides for establishment of private pensions, was gazetted in May 2015. The first one regulates the supervision of the activities of Banks while the second provides the supervisory framework for the insurance sector. A new Deposit Insurance Law, which extends protection for smaller depositors in banks and MFIs, was published in the Official Gazette in August 2015 and regulations are forthcoming. The NBR plans to start a parallel running exercise of existing Basel I capital requirements and new capital requirements on Basel II&III, before the end of 2015, with the new capital requirements already discussed with stakeholders. In the spirit of establishing a robust contingency planning (financial crisis preparedness), the NBR board approved the Emergency Liquidity Facility Framework (ELF) in September 2015. The ELF is a contingency (standby) facility to support a solvent bank with liquidity stress.

Debt developments

21. Rwanda continues to be at low risk of external debt distress and its long-term foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings were raised to 'B+' from 'B' by Standard & Poor’s in March 2015 as a result of increased confidence by investors in the country’s broad macroeconomic management. In July 2015, the ratings agency Fitch maintained its 'B+' rating for Rwanda, citing strong GDP growth and prudent fiscal management as key ratings drivers. Total public and publicly guaranteed debt stood at 30.4 percent of GDP as of end December 2014 (23.2 percent of GDP external debt and 7.1 percent domestic debt). External concessional debt represented 56.7 percent of total debt while commercial and guaranteed debt represented 16.7 percent and 3.1 percent respectively. Guarantees were extended on debt owed by RwandAir and Rwanda Energy Group. PTA Bank, a key financing partner for RwandAir, no longer requires sovereign guarantees for its loans to the company.

Program Performance

22. Program performance under the new PSI has been satisfactory. All end-June 2015 quantitative Assessment Criteria (QAC) were met. However, one of four indicative targets was not met. Due to delays in the disbursement of peacekeeping operations funds, the target on consolidated domestic debt of the public sector was exceeded by a small margin on account of additional sales of short term government securities as bridge financing for peacekeeping spending operations. Structural measures related to studying reforms in agricultural taxes have been delayed due to difficulties finding technical expertise in this area, and publication of quarterly reports on budget execution were delayed due to technical problems; these have been rescheduled for completion in 2016. Revised targets for end-December 2015 and new targets for end-June 2016 are proposed in Table 1. The assessment of the end-December 2015 targets is expected to be completed by end-June 2016, at the time of the fifth review. The sixth review is expected to be completed by end-December 2016. Table 2 includes the new structural benchmarks under the PSI.

Macroeconomic Outlook and Policy for FY2015/16 and the medium term
Introduction

23. In response to the weaker external environment, growth projections for 2016 were lowered modestly (to 6.3 percent from 7.0 percent), and a set of short term policy responses agreed. These policies comprise some additional drawdown of official reserves, and import compression through tightening of the 2016 monetary targets, relative to 2015. The BNR will continue to allow market determination of the exchange rate – further depreciation would also lead to import compression. These policies form a reasonable basis for dealing with the current shock in the near term.

24. Growth in 2016 is now estimated at 6.3 percent. Agriculture is expected to expand by 5.1 percent, similar to previous years, but some contraction in export crops is anticipated due to adverse international prices. Mining will continue to be a drag on growth. Manufacturing should strengthen in 2016 due to better market access for beverage production and new textile production. The growth of construction, however, is expected to be somewhat slower than in 2015, due to the impact on demand for imported intermediate goods of exchange rate depreciation that has already taken place. Services are projected to grow by 7.1 percent overall, buoyed by wholesale and retail trade (with more expensive imports a constraint to some extent). Real estate activity is expected to grow strongly due to the building completion rate observed in 2015. Information technology will continue its strong growth due to the impact of foreign investment and regional market expansion through products like mobile money transfers. Growth rates for 2017 and 2018, originally projected at 7.5%, have now been adjusted downwards to 6.7 and 6.8 percent, respectively. However there are notable downside risks to this forecast, such as a more prolonged decline in commodity prices and/or lower growth in Asia and other export markets.

Fiscal policy

25. The fiscal framework for 2015/16 and the medium term aims at containing spending in line with expected external pressures. To ensure that longer term development goals are protected, the objective is to increase domestic resource mobilization while introducing more expenditure prioritization to reduce the fiscal deficit and reliance on external financing over time. In line with this objective, the revised 2015/16 budget projects an overall deficit of 5.3% of GDP, declining to 4.4% of GDP in 2016/17 and further to 4.2% of GDP in 2017/18.

Revised FY 2015/16 budget

26. The original FY 2015/16 budget projected total revenue and grants at RWF 1,462.5 billion comprising domestic revenue of RWF 1,104.2 billion and total grants of RWF 358.3 billion. Total expenditure and net lending had been estimated at RWF 1,741.2 billion comprising RWF 865.6 billion of recurrent spending, RWF 747.3 billion capital expenditure and net lending of RWF 128.3 billion, resulting in an overall deficit of RWF 290 billion with domestic financing of RWF 74.9 billion.

27. A 2015/16 revised budget will be sent to parliament in Q1 2016. The revised budget will reflect acceleration of budgetary loans from the World Bank, and additional grants from DFID, as well as additional spending for some priority programs and projects. Total revenue and grants are being revised upwards to RWF 1,478.9 billion, showing an increase of RWF 16.4 billion mainly on account of additional budget support grants. Domestic revenue estimates are being retained, reflecting the offsetting effects of lower growth on one hand and higher collection rates and new tax compliance measures underway. Expenditure and net lending will be revised upwards to RWF 1,785 billion, reflecting an increase of RWF 43.8 billion. Recurrent spending is being adjusted upwards by RWF 34.3 billion, whilst capital expenditure is raised by RWF 29 billion, and net lending is reduced by RWF 19.5 billion on account of lower spending by KCC.

28. Regarding recurrent spending, a modest additional allocation for wages and salaries (0.1 percentage points of GDP) will allow the hiring of additional teachers in the districts as well as the recruitment of additional technical and vocational training staff. Regarding goods and services, the additional allocation of 0.4 percentage points of GDP is to cover some foreseen spending shortfalls and for the preparation of the 2017 elections, including voter registration, equipment purchases, etc. In the case of capital expenditure, additional budget authorization is being provided for RWF 29 billion to accommodate use of US$14.5 million of Euro bonds receipts for a hydro-power project, and use of RWF 20.3 billion of Global Fund grants that were disbursed in the middle of last year and have accumulated in project deposits. In addition an allocation has been made for the purchase of additional livestock to continue the one cow per family program.

29. These revisions will result in an increase in the overall deficit in FY2015/16 from RWF 290 billion to RWF 332.5 billion compared to the original budget. Using revised GDP figures, this implies an increase of 0.7 percentage points of GDP. However, as mentioned this slightly higher deficit will be fully financed by higher concessional external borrowing and more domestic financing. Specifically, the accelerated World Bank budget loan and additional drawdown of a project loan from the AfDB will increase external borrowing by RWF 25.5 billion to RWF 258.7 billion. Planned net domestic financing will be RWF 42.2 billion.

Revenue mobilization

30. Over the past three years, the Government has embarked on comprehensive tax reforms. A medium-term tax reform plan was developed and identified policies and administrative measures aimed at improving taxpayers’ compliance, reducing exemptions, strengthening risk management, and broadening the tax base. Going forward, the strategy focuses on implementation and monitoring the anticipated outcomes. Relatedly, the RRA underwent the Tax Administration Diagnostic Assessment (TADAT) from the IMF Fiscal Affairs Department, which offered insights on reform priorities going forward. Actions to respond to the identified weaknesses will be incorporated into the RRA Three-year Strategic Plan and consequent annual action plans. RRA is also revising the Tax procedure Law which will, among other things:

  • Improve use of the Electronic Billing Machines (EBMs). Some sectors will be made liable for VAT payments regardless of turnover levels, i.e. evolution to more sector-based rather than threshold-based approach;

  • Allow taxpayers who never declared taxes but later declare voluntarily to be considered as voluntarily disclosure;

  • Require tax litigation cases to pass through an administrative review by the Commissioner General prior to going to court, in order to reduce the number of cases that go to court; and

  • Provide more comprehensive rules for handling false declarations or incomplete returns submitted to the tax administration.

31. In addition, government is still committed to proposing legislation on reforms to agriculture taxation, but expert advice is needed for developing the reforms in light of the importance of the sector for the majority of Rwandans. Despite help by numerous development partners in the search for this expertise, including the Fund and Bank, the search is still ongoing.

Public Financial Management

32. In a bid to accelerate the public financial management reforms agenda, the government is implementing the following measures:

  • Implementation of E-Procurement: A feasibility study of the implementation of an e-procurement system in Rwanda concluded that e-procurement has huge potential for increasing efficiency, transparency and compliance. After a careful consideration of these findings, the government has made this one of the top priorities in the PFM reform agenda for the medium term. The government has signed a contract with the vendor and is currently working on the recruitment of the counterpart team that will work with the vendor to develop and rollout the system across government. It is also anticipated that the implementation of this system will bring about significant cost savings in form of time saving, lower transaction costs, and it is expected that it will reduce the use of paper and travel among others.

  • Development of an IPSAS (International Public Sector Accounting Standards) roadmap: This relates to government accounting policy for fixed assets, and will greatly contribute to improved accountability and transparency in general, but will also help Rwanda attain the fiscal reporting convergence criteria required for the East Africa Monetary Union (EAMU) and full (IPSAS) compliance.

  • Further linkage of plans and budgets through: consolidating the practice of holding annual planning consultations to inform budget consultations; strengthening the investment committee which aids in the selection and prioritization of investment projects. The investment committee has now been operational for 2 years (in 2015/16 local government projects were also appraised by a new District Investment Advisory Committee); the investment committee will furthermore be empowered to approve PPPs and Joint Ventures. The National Investment Policy is going to be revised in 2015/16 to create a robust framework for oversight and implementation of projects with clear roles and responsibilities of stakeholders including PPPs and Joint ventures. The Project monitoring unit in MINECOFIN as well as the functions of performance contract elaboration and monitoring have also been transferred from the budget unit and the office of the Prime Minister respectively to the responsibility of the Minister of State in charge of Economic Planning. These are expected to improve monitoring of financial and non-financial performance and create feedback loops into the prioritization process. A new form of performance contracts shared across institutions spanning central and local government as well as support to the private sector has also been introduced in 2015/16 to incentivize coordination in delivery.

Debt Management

33. The Government of Rwanda has embraced the IMF new debt limit policy which will now depend on the presence of debt vulnerabilities as per the Debt Sustainability Analysis, but also the quality of fiscal data. Rwanda expects to remain at low risk of debt distress, and will keep monitoring its level of indebtedness through two indicative targets including the Net Domestic Financing (NDF) and the Non-concessional borrowing (NCB). It is for that reason that the Debt Management Unit (DMU) has developed (during FY 14/15) a process for issuance of guarantees. After review and analysis of the loan guarantees, the DMU submits the analysis to the Debt Management committee (DMC) and the Treasury Management committee (TMC), before it is submitted to the Minister for approval and signature. The government also plans to jointly undertake with the World Bank, the design of debt management reform priorities, based on the debt management performance assessment (DeMPA), which was conducted during July 2015.

Summary Table on New External Borrowing Program for 2016

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Contracting and guaranteeing of new debt in nominal terms. All multilateral and bilateral debt in the central government's budget for 2016 related to disbursements of previous contracted loans.

All commercial debt is central government guaranteed debt related to RwandAir and the Kigali Convention Center (KCC).

Monetary Policy

34. Following the recent pressures from food, transport and housing inflation, headline inflation is projected at around 4 percent in December 2015. The main risks to monitor, going forward, include the depreciation of the FRW against the USD, and agricultural products. BNR expects headline inflation to be around the 5 percent target in 2016. The BNR will implement a prudent monetary policy allowing monetary aggregates to growth at low pace compared to 2015. In 2016, M3 will increase by 14.9 percent from 16.1 percent and credit to the private sector by 16.2 percent from 24.5 percent. The NBR will continue to carefully assess developments and adapt the stance to the changing circumstances with the aim of maintaining inflation within its 5 percent target, while supporting growth and containing pressures on the currency.

35. In a bid to promote capital market development and support the transmission mechanism, the NBR in collaboration with MINECOFIN, is committed to continue issuing Treasury Bonds on quarterly basis and extend the maturity of securities by issuing a 15 year T-Bond in May 2016. Furthermore, with the objective of enhancing the trading activities on the secondly market, NBR shall put in place the framework of Market intermediaries for Government Securities by September 2016.

36. To encourage the development of interbank and secondary markets, both for domestic currency transactions and forex, the NBR will continue to enhance its communication strategy by creating an interactive platform of exchanging information with all stakeholders, with a particular focus on financial institutions and the business community. In addition, the communication will focus on educating the public about the ongoing financial deepening reforms such as credit reporting bureau activities, the capital market development and payment systems modernization.

External developments and exchange rate policy

37. The balance of trade for goods and services is expected to deteriorate further by about 10 percent in 2016, due to a further deterioration of the terms of trade. Export growth in 2016 will be subdued, expanding by only 4.7 percent after a decline of 7.8 percent projected for 2015. Mineral export revenues are expected to decline by 10.3 percent in 2016, due to continued weak prices. The Rwandan mining industry is dominated by artisanal mining, with their production share at over 70 percent. These miners are less sensitive to international price than larger semi-industrial miners (as their fixed costs are non-existent and their financial situation is more vulnerable), but nevertheless the volumes produced in 2016 are expected to decline, reflecting lower international demand for minerals generally. Non-traditional export revenues are anticipated to expand by 4.8 percent, more moderate growth than in the recent past due to slowing demand in the region generally. Tea volumes are projected to increase by 16 percent, due to increased acreage under production and nine new processing factories.

38. Import growth will also be slower than in the past, reflecting the impact of tighter monetary policy and exchange rate depreciation that has already taken place. 2016 growth is projected at 5.0 percent, excluding one-off RwandAir imports which are financed fully in the financial account of the balance of payments. (Including the importation of new planes, growth will be 11 percent). Increased public sector flows of loans and grants and other private sector financing should help finance most capital and intermediate imports.

39. In light of depleted commercial bank forex reserves, the BNR is planning to sell additional reserves of US$90 million, bringing reserve cover down to 3.3 months of projected 2017 imports. The BNR plans to allow further exchange rate flexibility needed to contain additional deterioration of external balances. In line with the objective of allowing greater exchange rate flexibility, the BNR is planning to improve gradually its methodology and base the exchange rate on interbank deals, as agreed at the EAC level. The BNR is thus working with the Dealer’s Association on raising the technical capacity of dealers and organizing a forex interbank market, which will be realized through a signed code of conduct in June 2016. The BNR aims to have in operation a framework based on interbank transactions by December 2016. In addition, the BNR is closely working with the cash traders to establish their association, which will be also governed by a Code of Conduct.

Financial Sector Policies

40. The following measures would be implemented to further strengthen the financial sector:

  • The BNR plans to establish the “Financial Sector Coordination Committee”. This committee will be mandated to manage any systemic financial crisis. This committee is expected to be established by June 2016.

  • The BNR plans to put in place the regulation implementing the deposit insurance law by end 2016. This regulation will cover the following: 1) the contribution rate; 2) the coverage ratio and; 3) the pay-out procedures.

  • For the purpose of financial consumer protection, the BNR plans to develop transparency and disclosure instruments: Regulation on Key Fact Statement (KFS) and Annual Percentage Rate (APR) by 2016. These two instruments will require banks and MFIs to disclose key information (terms and conditions) regarding a loan and its total costs.

  • The BNR plans to issue a regulation on new capital requirements on Basel II/III by end of 2016. The new capital requirements will include minimum capital ratios plus a conservation buffer of 2.5.

  • The process of automating operations of UMURENGE SACCOs started and is planned to be completed by 2017.

  • In the insurance sector, BNR plans to re-model solvency requirements parameters using risk based capital approach by December 2016. This is to ensure that the solvency requirements are in line with the risk, nature, scale and complexity of the operations of insurers.

MEFP Table 1.

Quantitative Assessment Criteria and Indicative Targets1

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Sources: Rwandan authorities and IMF staff estimates and projections.

All items including adjusters are defined in the Technical Memorandum of Understanding (TMU).

Commitment basis, with adjustor on externally-financed capital spending.

Numbers for 2015 are cumulative from 12/31/2014; numbers for 2016 are cumulative from 12/31/2015.

Subject to adjustors. See TMU for details.

2015 program numbers are at the revised program exchange rate of RWF746.5.

Targets are calculated as an arithmetic average of the stock of reserve money for the 3 months in the quarter. AC applies to upper bound only.

Ceilings on external arrears and non-concessional external borrowing are continuous.

The figure excludes revenues associated with demobilization and AU peace keeping operations.

Excluding NBR's debt issued for monetary policy purposes.

Excluding demobilization and African Union peace keeping operations, HIPC and COMESA grants.

MEFP Table 2.

Status of Structural Benchmarks for the 5th Review

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Attachment II. Technical Memorandum of Understanding

December 17, 2015

1. This memorandum defines the quantitative targets described in the memorandum of economic and financial policies (MEFP) for the period July 1, 2015–November 30, 2016 supported by the IMF Policy Support Instrument (PSI), and sets out the data reporting requirements. This TMU updates the one of April, 2015.

I. Quantitative Program Targets

2. The quantitative program will be assessed through assessment criteria (AC) and indicative targets (IT) for the duration of the program.

3. AC will apply to the following indicators for December 31, 2015 and June 30, 2016 (the test dates) throughout the program period:

  • Floor on stock of net foreign assets (NFA) of the National Bank of Rwanda (NBR);

  • Ceiling on stock of reserve money;

    Ceiling on the overall deficit, including grants as measured on a commitment basis; and

  • Ceiling on stock of external payment arrears of the public sector.

4. IT will apply to the following indicators throughout the program period:

  • Ceiling on flow of net domestic financing (NDF) of the central government;

  • Floor on flow of domestic revenue collection of the central government;

  • Ceiling on flow of net accumulation of domestic arrears of the central government;

  • Ceiling on contracting or guaranteeing of new non-concessional external debt of nonfinancial public enterprises ;

  • Ceiling on stock of consolidated domestic debt of the public sector; and

  • Floor on flow of priority spending.

5. Assessment criteria on contracting or guaranteeing of new non-concessional external debt by the public sector and stock of external payment arrears of the public sector are applicable on a continuous basis for the duration of the program.

6. Program exchange rates. For accounting purposes, the program exchange rates in Table 1 will apply.

Table 1.

Program Exchange Rates (US$ per currency unit, unless indicated otherwise)

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A. Institutional Coverage of the Fiscal Sector

7. The central government fiscal operation table comprises the treasury and line ministries, hereafter referred to as the government unless specified otherwise.

B. Targets Related to the Execution of the Fiscal Program
Ceiling on net domestic financing of the government

8. A ceiling applies to NDF. The ceiling for December 31, 2015 is cumulatively measured from December 31, 2014, and for June 30, 2016 cumulatively from December 31, 2015.

9. Definition. NDF of the government is defined as the change in the sum of (i) net banking sector credit to the government and (ii) non-bank holdings of government domestic debt.

10. Net banking sector credit to the government is defined as

  • Consolidated credit to the government from the banking system (NBR and commercial banks, as recorded in the monetary survey), including credit to the government, provinces and districts. The outstanding consolidated government debt held by the banking system,1 includes government debt to the NBR amounting to RWF 38.6 billion incurred as a result the overdraft to the pre-war government and the 1995 devaluation2, as well as the current overdraft with the NBR. Credit to the government will exclude treasury bills issued by the NBR for monetary policy purposes, the proceeds of which are sterilized in deposits held as other NBR liabilities.

  • less total government deposits with the banking system (as recorded in the monetary survey), including in the main treasury account, the accounts of line ministries, the fund for assistance to genocide survivors, the Rwanda Revenue Authority, the electoral commission, the demobilization commission, fonds routier, the privatization account, and the accounts of any other autonomous public enterprises and public agencies over which the government has direct control over their deposits. Thus, this definition excludes any government deposits over which the central government does not have any direct control (i.e., for project accounts, Global Fund money meant for the private sector, counterpart funds, and fonds publics affectés as well as the portion of funds for Peace-keeping Operations (PKO) reserved for the payment of wages and other allowances to peace-keeping troops and police.)

11. Non-bank holdings of government domestic debt consist of non-bank holdings of treasury bills, bonds (domestic and non-resident), old development bonds (pre-1994 debt), new development bonds (including those used for recapitalization of banks), and other accounts receivable.

Adjusters to NDF:

  • The ceiling on NDF will be adjusted upward by the amount of any shortfall between actual and programmed budgetary grants and loans3 (defined in Table 2), up to a maximum of RWF 120 billion. In the event that actual budgetary grants and loans exceed programmed levels, the ceiling on NDF will not be adjusted.

  • The ceiling on NDF will be adjusted downward by the extent to which in Rwandan francs at the program exchange rate the unused proceeds of the US$400 million euro bond issued in April 2013 is lower than US$12.1 million by end-December.

  • The ceiling on NDF will be adjusted upward by the amount of expenditure for food imports in the case of a food emergency.

  • The ceiling on NDF will be adjusted upward up to a maximum of RWF120 billion representing the amount of foreign financed capital expenditure financed with draw-down of accumulated government deposits as specified in the definition of NDF.

  • The ceiling on NDF will be adjusted downward by the amount of disbursement of unused capital grants and loans accumulated in project deposits.

  • The ceiling on NDF will be adjusted upward, up to a maximum of RWF120 billion, representing the amount of expenditure arising from pre-financing of Peace Keeping Operations.

12. Reporting requirement. Data on NDF (showing separately treasury bills and government bonds outstanding, other government debt, and central government deposits), each type of debt to be shown by debt holder, will be transmitted on a monthly basis within five weeks from the end of each month. Deposits of the government with the NBR and with the commercial banks will be separated from the deposits of the public enterprises and autonomous public agencies and agencies that the government does not have any direct control over.

Overall Fiscal Deficit Including Grants

13. A ceiling applies to the overall fiscal deficit including grants. The ceiling for December 31, 2015 is cumulatively measured from December 31, 2014, and for June 30, 2016 cumulatively from December 31,, 2015.

14. Definition. For the program, the overall deficit including grants is valued on a commitment basis. That is, the overall fiscal balance is the difference between the government’s total revenue and grants and total expenditure and net lending (costs and acquisition net of nonfinancial assets). The definition of revenues and expenditures is consistent with that in the 2001 Government Financial Statistics Manual (GFSM). Government expenditure is defined on the basis of payment orders accepted by the Treasury, as well as those executed with external resources. This assessment criterion is set as a floor on the overall fiscal balance as of the beginning of the year.

Adjusters to the overall fiscal deficit including grants:

  • The ceiling on the overall deficit will be adjusted upward by the amount of any shortfall between actual and programmed budgetary grants4 (defined in Table 2), up to a maximum of RWF120 billion. In the event actual budgetary grants exceed programmed levels, the deficit will not be adjusted.

  • The ceiling on the overall deficit will be adjusted downward by the extent to which in Rwandan francs at the program exchange rate the unused proceeds of the US$400 million euro bond issued in April 2013 is lower than US$12.1 million by end-December.

  • The ceiling on the overall deficit will be adjusted upward by the amount of expenditure for food imports in the case of a food emergency.

  • The ceiling on the overall deficit will be adjusted upward up to a maximum of RWF120 billion representing the amount of foreign financed capital expenditure financed with drawdown of accumulated government deposits as specified in the definition of NDF.

  • The ceiling on the overall deficit will be adjusted downward by the amount of disbursement of unused capital grants and loans accumulated in project deposits.

  • The ceiling on the overall deficit will be adjusted upward up to a maximum of RWF120 billion, representing the amount of expenditure arising from pre-financing of Peace Keeping Operations.

Floor on flow of domestic revenues

15. A floor applies to domestic revenue. The floor for December 31, 2015 is cumulatively measured from December 31, 2014, and for June 30, 2016 cumulatively from December 31, 2015.

16. Definition. The floor on domestic government revenue is defined as total government revenue (tax and non-tax revenues), per the central government fiscal operation table, but excluding external grants, peace keeping operations, and privatization receipts.

17. Reporting requirement. Detailed data on domestic revenues will be transmitted on a monthly basis within five weeks of the end of each month.

Floor on priority expenditure

18. The floor applies to priority spending of the government. The floor for December 31, 2015 is cumulatively measured from December 31, 2014, and for June 30, 2016 cumulatively from December 31, 2015.

19. Definition. Priority expenditure is defined as the sum of those recurrent expenditures, domestically-financed capital expenditures, and net lending that the government has identified as priority in line with the EDPRS2. Priority expenditure is monitored through the computerized SIBET expenditure management system which tracks priority spending of the annual budget at the program level.

20. Reporting requirement. Data on priority expenditure will be transmitted on a quarterly basis within eight weeks of the end of each quarter.

Net accumulation of domestic arrears of the government

21. A ceiling applies to net accumulation of domestic arrears of the government.5 The ceiling for December 31, 2015 is cumulatively measured from December 31, 2014, and for June 30, 2016 cumulatively from December 31, 2015.

22. Definition. The net accumulation of arrears is defined as the difference between the gross accumulation of new domestic arrears (measured as the difference between payment orders and actual payments related to payment orders issued) that are overdue by more than 90 days and gross repayment of any arrears outstanding at the beginning of the year under review (including repayment of float during the review year and the repayment of older arrears).

23. Reporting requirement. Data on repayment of domestic arrears and the remaining previous year’s stock of arrears will be transmitted on a quarterly basis within eight weeks of the end of each quarter.

C. Limits on Debt
Limit on new non-concessional external debt of nonfinancial public enterprises

24. A ceiling applies to the contracting and guaranteeing by nonfinancial public enterprises of new non-concessional borrowing with non-residents (see below for the definition of the public sector, concessionality, and debt). The ceiling is given in Table 1. Quantitative Assessment Criteria and Indicative Targets of the MEFP which applies continuously from July 1, 2015 to end-November 2016. The ceiling excludes non-concessional borrowing by one state-owned bank, the Bank of Kigali and Rwanda Development Bank (BRD), which are assumed not to seek or be granted a government guarantee. The ceiling also applies to private debt for which official guarantees have been extended, including future swaps involving foreign currency loans guaranteed by the public sector (see below for swaps), and which, therefore, constitute a contingent liability of the public sector. The ceiling will exclude non-concessional borrowing which is for the sole purpose of refinancing existing public sector debt and which helps to improve the profile of public sector debt.

25. The public sector comprises the general government (central government, NBR, local governments) and nonfinancial public enterprises. Nonfinancial public enterprises are entities in which the government holds a controlling stake (owning more than 50 percent of shares), but which are not consolidated in the budget. This definition of the public sector excludes the Bank of Kigali and Rwanda Development Bank (BRD). For program purposes, the guarantee of a debt arises from any explicit legal obligation of the public sector to service a debt in the event of nonpayment by the debtor (involving payments in cash or in kind)..

26. The definition of debt is set out in paragraph 8(a) of the Guidelines on Public Debt Conditionality in Fund Arrangements attached to Executive Board Decision No. 15688-(14/107), adopted December 5, 2014.

  • (a) The term "debt" will be understood to mean a current, i.e., not contingent, liability, created under a contractual arrangement through the provision of value in the form of assets (including currency) or services, and which requires the obligor to make one or more payments in the form of assets (including currency) or services, at some future point(s) in time; these payments will discharge the principal and/or interest liabilities incurred under the contract. Debts can take a number of forms, the primary ones being as follows:

    • (i) loans, i.e., advances of money to the obligor by the lender made on the basis of an undertaking that the obligor will repay the funds in the future (including deposits, bonds, debentures, commercial loans and buyers' credits) and temporary exchanges of assets that are equivalent to fully collateralized loans under which the obligor is required to repay the funds, and usually pay interest, by repurchasing the collateral from the buyer in the future (such as repurchase agreements and official swap arrangements);

    • (ii) suppliers' credits, i.e., contracts where the supplier permits the obligor to defer payments until sometime after the date on which the goods are delivered or services are provided; and

    • (iii) leases, i.e., arrangements under which property is provided which the lessee has the right to use for one or more specified period(s) of time that are usually shorter than the total expected service life of the property, while the lesser retains the title to the property. The debt is the present value (at the inception of the lease) of all lease payments expected to be made during the period of the agreement excluding those payments that cover the operation, repair, or maintenance of the property.

  • (b) Under the definition of debt set out in this paragraph, arrears, penalties, and judicially awarded damages arising from the failure to make payment under a contractual obligation that constitutes debt. Failure to make payment on an obligation that is not considered debt under this definition (e.g., payment on delivery) will not give rise to debt.

27. Debt guarantees. For the purposes of the relevant IT, a government debt guarantee means an explicit legal obligation to service a debt in the event of nonpayment by the borrower (through payment in cash or in kind)

28. Concessionality of external debt. For the purposes of the relevant IT, a debt is considered concessional if it includes a grant element of at least 35 percent, calculated as follows: the grant element of a debt is the difference between the present value (PV) of debt and its nominal value, expressed as a percentage of the nominal value of the debt. The PV of debt at the time it is contracted is calculated by discounting the borrower’s future debt service payments on the debt. For debts with a grant element equal or below zero, the PV will be set equal to the nominal value of the debt. The discount rates used is 5.0 percent.

Limit on the stock of external payment arrears

29. A continuous assessment criterion applies to the non-accumulation of payment arrears on external debt contracted or guaranteed by the public sector. External payment arrears consist of external debt service obligations (principal and interest) that have not been paid at the time they are due, as specified in the contractual agreements, but shall exclude arrears on obligations that are subject to rescheduling.

Consolidated Domestic Debt of the Public Sector

30. For program purposes, domestic debt excludes treasury bills issued by the NBR for monetary policy purposes. The ceiling on DD applies to domestic commitments contracted or guaranteed by the public sector. This also applies to private debt for which official guarantees have been extended either implicitly or explicitly. The authorities would inform Fund staff of any changes in debt position of public sector entities.

Adjusters:

  • In the case of a shortfall in programmed budgetary loans and grants (per paragraph 11), the ceiling on consolidated domestic debt of public sector will be adjusted upward by the same amount as the increase in the ceiling in the NDF, but capped per paragraph 11.

  • The ceiling on the DD will be adjusted upward by the amount of expenditure for food imports in the case of a food emergency.

31. Reporting requirement. Data on domestic debt of the public sector, including treasury bills issued by the NBR for monetary policy purposes, will be transmitted on a quarterly basis within eight weeks of the end of each quarter.

D. Targets for Monetary Aggregates
Net foreign assets of the National Bank of Rwanda

32. A floor applies to the net foreign assets (NFA) of the NBR for December 31, 2015 and June 30, 2016.

33. Definition. NFA of the NBR in Rwandan francs is defined, consistent with the definition of the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) template, as external assets readily available to, or controlled by, the NBR net of its external liabilities. Pledged or otherwise encumbered reserve assets (including swaps) are excluded; such assets include, but are not limited to, reserve assets used as collateral or guarantee for third party external liabilities. Foreign assets and foreign liabilities in U.S. dollars are converted to Rwandan francs by using the U.S. dollar/Rwanda franc program exchange rate. Foreign assets and liabilities in other currencies are converted to U.S. dollars by using the actual end-of-period U.S. dollar/currency exchange rate. Foreign liabilities include, inter alia, use of IMF resources.

Adjusters:

  • The floor on NFA will be adjusted downward by the amount of any shortfall between actual and programmed budgetary loans and grants per Table 1. Quantitative Assessment Criteria and Indicative Targets of the MEFP. This adjustment will be capped at the equivalent of US$160 million, evaluated in Rwanda francs at the program exchange rate.

  • The floor on NFA will be adjusted upward/downward by the extent to which in Rwandan francs at the program exchange rate unused proceeds of the US$400 million euro bond issued in April 2013 is lower than/exceed US$12.1 million by end-December2015.

  • The floor on NFA will be adjusted downward by the amount of expenditure for food imports in the case of a food emergency, evaluated in Rwanda francs at the program exchange rate.

34. Reporting requirement. Data on foreign assets and foreign liabilities of the NBR will be transmitted on a weekly basis within seven days of the end of each week, including breakdown of assets that are pledged or encumbered. This transmission will include daily and weekly data on the NBR’s foreign exchange liabilities to commercial banks (including required reserves with the NBR) and the exchange rate used for their conversion into Rwanda francs will be shown separately.

Reserve money

35. A ceiling applies to the stock of reserve money for December 31, 2015 and June 30, 2015 as indicated in Table 1. Quantitative Assessment Criteria and Indicative Targets of the MEFP. The ceiling is the upper bound of a reserve money band (set at+/- 2 percent) around a central reserve money target).

36. The stock of reserve money for a given quarter will be calculated as the arithmetic average of the stock of reserve money at the end of each calendar month in the quarter. Daily average of all the three months in the quarter will constitute the actual reserve money to be compared with the target.

37. Reserve money is defined as the sum of currency in circulation, commercial banks’ reserves, and other nonbank deposits at the NBR.

Adjuster:

  • The ceiling on the stock of reserve money will be adjusted symmetrically for a change in the required reserve ratio of commercial banks. The adjustor will be calculated as (new reserve ratio minus program baseline reserve ratio) multiplied by actual amount of liabilities (Rwanda Franc plus foreign-currency denominated) in commercial banks.

38. Reporting requirement. Data on reserve money will be transmitted on a weekly basis within seven days of the end of each week. This transmission will include a daily and a weekly balance sheet of the NBR which will show all items listed above in the definitions of reserve money.

II. Other Data Reporting Requirements

39. For the purposes of program monitoring, the Government of Rwanda will provide the data listed in TMU Table 1 below, weekly data within seven days of the end of each week; monthly data within five weeks of the end of each month; annual data as available.

TMU Table 1.

Summary of Reporting Requirements

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Includes the official rate; Forex Bureau Associations rate; weighted average of the interbank money market rates; and weighted average of the intervention rate by the NBR.

Includes reserve assets pledged or otherwise encumbered as well as net derivative positions.

Both market-based and officially-determined, including discount rates, money market rates, interbank money market rate, rates on treasury bills, notes and bonds.

Includes General Index; Local Goods Index; Imported Goods Index; Fresh Products Index; Energy Index; General Index excluding Fresh Products and Energy; and their breakdowns as published by the NISR.

Foreign, domestic bank, and domestic nonbank financing.

The general government consists of the central government (budgetary funds, extra budgetary funds, and social security funds) and state and local governments.

Includes proceeds from privatization, accompanied by information on entities privatized, date of privatization, numbers and prices of equities sold to the private sector.

Includes debts of the Bank of Kigali. Also includes currency and maturity composition.

Daily (D); Weekly (W); Monthly (M); Quarterly (Q); Annually (A); Semi-annually (SA); Irregular (I).

40. The authorities will inform the IMF staff in writing prior to making any changes in economic and financial policies that could affect the outcome of the financial program. Such policies include, but are not limited to, customs and tax laws, wage policy, and financial support to public and private enterprises. The authorities will inform the IMF staff of changes affecting respect of continuous QACs and ITs. The authorities will furnish a description of program performance according to QACs and ITs as well as structural benchmarks within 8 weeks of a test date. The authorities engage to submit information to IMF staff with the frequency and submission time lag indicated in TMU Table 1. The information should be mailed electronically to the Fund. (email: afrrwa@imf.org).
1

Consisting of bank holdings of treasury bills, bonds (domestic), old development bonds (pre-1994 debt), new development bonds (including those used for recapitalization of banks), and other accounts receivable.

2

The authorities will inform Fund staff of any substantive changes in government accounts with the banking system, which may affect the calculation of net bank claims.

3

Budgetary grants exclude COMESA and HIPC grants, but include Global Fund.

4

Budgetary grants exclude COMESA and HIPC grants, but include Global Fund.

5

A negative target thus represents a floor on net repayment.

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Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Rwanda: Fourth Review Under the Policy Support Instrument-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Rwanda
Author:
International Monetary Fund. African Dept.
Volume/Issue:
Volume 2016: Issue 024
Publisher:
International Monetary Fund
ISBN:
9781513585567
ISSN:
1934-7685
Pages:
77
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5089/9781513585567.002
Figure 1.

Rwanda: Recent Economic Performance
Figure 2.

Rwanda: Selected High Frequency Indicators of Economic Activity
Figure 3.

Rwanda: Monetary Developments
Figure 4.

Rwanda: External Sector Developments

Rwandan Franc/US$ Exchange Rate Depreciation since January 2012

Tax Revenue, RWF billions