Sakata la Gesi ya Mtwara: Serikali yaidanganya IMF vigezo vya kukopa China kujenga Bomba la Gesi!

Hatimaye Serikali ya Tanzania imekiri kuidanganya IMF kwa kulazimisha kukopa kutoka EXIM Bank China fedha za kujengea bomba lenye utata la kusafirishia Gesi ya Mtwara na Lindi hadi DSM. Katika barua yake ya kukamilisha ziara ya wataalam wa IMF nchini kwenda kwa Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa IMF Mama Christine Lagarde, Serikali "imekiri kudanganya" baada ya kutumia “calculator” ya Commonwealth Secretariat katika kukokotoa madeni ya nchi ambayo inatupendelea kuwa mkopo unafaa badala ya IMF ambayo inatuelekeza kuepuka ukubwa wa deni (loan) kwa kuzingatia kiwango cha msaada (grant) katika deni hilo.

Sehemu ya barua ya Serikali inasema:

“It was noted that a grant element of 34.68 percent of the US$920 million gas pipeline loan, contracted in November 2012, was computed using a calculator from the Commonwealth Secretariat debt management reporting system rather than the IMF loan calculator. It was on this basis that decisions were made in good faith. Fund staff has advised that the resulting grant element using the program methodology is 33 percent, below the required 35 percent. This caused non-observance of the continuous external non-concessional debt ceiling performance/assessment criterion for which a waiver is requested”.

Source: Tanzania’s Letter of Intent to the IMF http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2013/cr1312.pdf