Last month, IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack had said the fund would send a mission to the Horn of Africa nation to discuss its request for a loan program.
Ethiopia is in talks with IMF to borrow around $3.5 billion under a reform program, three sources familiar with the matter said in December.
The IMF confirmed the presence of the staff mission in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.
"An IMF mission is starting discussions with the government of Ethiopia this week to continue the constructive dialogue held to date on supporting Ethiopia’s economic reform," said a spokesperson for the fund.
In December, the Paris Club of developed creditor nations said Ethiopia's agreement with its bilateral creditors, other than China, to suspend debt payments until 2025 could be voided if the country does not secure an IMF loan by March 31, 2024.
In the same month, Ethiopia became the third African nation to default in as many years after it failed to make a payment on its $1 billion Eurobond.
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