The IMF Chief started by congratulating President Bio and the people of Sierra Leone for a peaceful elections as well as expressing his appreciation to His Excellency for the audience accorded to them. He said the IMF is willing to commence discussions as well as restarting the suspended IMF programmes in Sierra Leone stating that the IMF will collaborate and facilitate with the Government of Sierra Leone in achieving its priorities. Aitken promised that they will continue to engage the Government of Sierra Leone on its programmes.

In his response, His Excellency President Bio expressed his gratitude to the IMF for their support to the Government and People of Sierra Leone. He disclosed that he is inheriting a Government that is financially challenged stating that his administration is determined to engage the IMF in order to help revamp the nation’s broken economy. President Bio cited few Executive Orders that his government has already instituted in order to help increase revenue generation as well as tackle unnecessary government expenditure ranging from the decrease in oversees travelling to temporal ban on timber exportation among others.

President Bio ended by pledging his Government’s commitment to speedily resume the IMF programmes in the country as well as revamping the nation’s economy.