Since the popular uprising that ousted a longtime dictator in early 2011, Tunisia’s economy has struggled to take off.

During a discussion meeting with IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, representatives of the civil society, political parties and the House of People’s Representatives (HPR) as well as businessmen and academics held Wednesday, at the seat of the BCT, Ayari said Tunisia expressed officially its willingness to carry on co-operation with this worldwide financial institution, during the IMF Managing Director’s meeting, Tuesday, with the Tunisian President and the Prime Minister.

Ayari said $1.7 billion was the “lowest estimate, and it could be more, depending on our needs, the possibilities and the conditions”.

“We hope to have an agreement with the International Monetary Fund around March”.

Lagarde told reporters the current standby loan deal had been kept flexible given the troubles Tunisia faced after two major attacks this year by Islamist militants that have hit its vital tourism industry hard.

Lagarde said maintaining growth, promoting prosperity and creating employment require “security, macroeconomic and financial stability so that confidence can be restored” in order to attract investors.

“Now more than ever is the time to push for the reforms that are necessary to transform Tunisia into a dynamic, competitive economy and create jobs for its citizens”, she said. She added that Tunisia is “proving its resilience” but urged that reforms should also strengthen the banking sector, intensify the recapitalization of banks and give needed efficiency to the administration. The BCT governor underlined that “Tunisia in its efforts to meet the challenges has freely chosen to seek IMF’s support through a programme based on a stand-by arrangement signed in June 2013 for a two-year period”.

“I simply say “Let’s finish the work underway”… and then, inshaallah (God willing)”.

GDP grew by a modest 1.0 percent in the first half, but the full-year figure is expected to be only half a percent, the finance ministry has said.