TUNIS – Tunisia sees $2.78 billion in foreign loans — almost double last year’s external financing needs, to help cover a 2017 deficit expected at 5.4 percent, according to the 2017 budget approved on Friday and published by TAP state news agency.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Last year’s budget expected 2016 foreign lending at $1.45 billion.
The cabinet approved the 2017 budget of 32.7 billion dinars or $14.8 billion, a 12 percent increase from this year’s budget, TAP reported.
The budget sees 2017 growth at 2.3 percent versus a forecast of 1.5 percent for this year. The budget deficit is expected to narrow to 5.4 percent, TAP said, from an expected deficit of 6.5 percent this year.
($1 = 2.2100 Tunisian dinars)
(Reporting by Tarek Amara; writing by Patrick Markey)