The International Monetary Fund(IMF) says Liberia is making impressive progress to achieving final debt waiver. According to the Director of African Affairs of the IMF, Liberia has met key benchmarks for clearing its huge external debt. Dr.Anoinette Sayeh said Liberia is now between its decision and completion point and assured if the country keeps on tract final debt waiver will be achieved before the end of 2010.

Dr.Sayeh named the completion of audits of key government ministries and the passage and implementation of the Public Financial Management Law as some of the progress. She said the extension of basic health services to a large portion of the population and the better management of the country’s educational program are important triggers for HIPC. Dr. Sayeh told Star Radio the performance of government in the implementation of the poverty reduction strategy and programs with the IMF are also essential.

The IMF Director of African Affairs who is also former Finance Minister revealed a team from the fund will visit the country later this year to review its program and access government’s performance from June t o September. Liberia entered the highly indebted poor countries initiatives in March of 2008 and since then progress had been made on the home front to achieve debt waiver. The country had an eternal debt overhang of more than five billion dollars but over the last two years it has been reduced to about 1.7 billion dollars.