Senegal aims to finalise a programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) “very quickly,” Finance Minister Cheikh Diba said on Tuesday, as the West African nation works to stabilise a debt load that the IMF pegged at 132 percent of GDP at the end of 2024, Reuters reported.

The country’s debt burden rose sharply after the current administration uncovered billions of dollars in unreported liabilities left by the previous government. Last year, the IMF froze a 1.8 billion US dollars loan package, though it said this month that “significant progress” had been made toward a new programme, even as it continues an internal review into how the undisclosed debt went undetected.

Speaking to lawmakers, Diba said discussions with the IMF were “going very well,” with consensus reached on correcting data and ongoing work on budgetary and debt issues. “The IMF is reviewing the work we are doing with them, the proposals we have, the instruments we have developed,” he added.

A new IMF mission chief is scheduled to start in January. “We hope… that we will very quickly finalise a programme with the International Monetary Fund, as this is a pressing need,” Diba said, emphasising the urgency of formalising an agreement.

Diba’s tone contrasted sharply with that of Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who last month said at a rally that the IMF had proposed a debt restructuring, a move he called a “disgrace” and indicated the government would resist.

The finance minister also said Senegal would continue raising funds through a variety of channels, including Eurobonds, while navigating its broader debt management challenges.