IMF Warns of Rising Public Wage Bill as Major Fiscal Risk in DRC

Kinshasa, February 15, 2026 - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has identified the public wage bill as a major fiscal risk for the Democratic Republic of Congo under the Extended Credit Facility (ECF) program.

According to the IMF’s second review, rapidly increasing salaries in the education, health, and justice sectors are straining budget execution and reducing available fiscal space, particularly in a context already burdened by security expenditures.

The report highlights that the growth of the wage bill stems from salary adjustments, recruitment, administrative regularization, and the continuation of previously undertaken commitments by authorities. This increase has placed pressure on current expenditures in 2024-2025, exceeding initially projected levels.

The IMF warns that the public wage bill is consuming a growing share of budgetary resources, limiting the government’s capacity to fund public investment and social spending, which are priorities under the program. Rising security expenditures further exacerbate this fiscal strain.

For 2025 and 2026, the IMF notes that the widening deficit is partly explained by increased compensation in social and judicial sectors. The fund underscores that this trend, coupled with limited revenue mobilization, heightens the risk of reduced macro-budgetary flexibility.

The IMF calls on the Congolese authorities to:

Contain the growth of the public sector wage bill.

Develop and implement a coherent wage policy.

Strengthen control over civil service size.

Integrate these measures into broader public financial management reforms.

While the IMF did not provide specific timelines or instruments for these reforms, it emphasized that controlling the wage bill is critical for the credibility of the medium-term program and the pursuit of stabilization and development objectives.

Without corrective action, the rigidity of current expenditures could further reduce fiscal space, complicating efforts to maintain macroeconomic stability and support growth.