Georgieva picks Zeidane as IMF Africa chief as Selassie retires

Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said Friday that she intends to appoint Zeine Zeidane as director of the fund’s African Department (AFR),
replacing Abebe Aemro Selassie, who will retire on May 1, 2026.

The appointment comes amid mounting financing pressures, elevated debt risks and ongoing external shocks in sub-Saharan Africa, entrenching the IMF’s role at the core of policy support and crisis response in the region.

“I have informed the Executive Board of my intention to appoint Mr. Zeine Zeidane as the Director of the African Department,” Georgieva said. “Zeine will bring deep institutional knowledge, sound judgment, and strong policymaking experience to the department as it continues to respond to sub-Saharan Africa’s growing demands for tailored policy advice, financing, and capacity development.”

Zeidane, a Mauritanian national, currently serves as deputy director in the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department, where he oversees engagement with major Gulf economies and has played a role in strengthening partnerships across the region.

His appointment would mark a return to the African Department, where he previously served as deputy director and worked on some of the fund’s largest and most complex country programs.

His experience spans more than two decades in macroeconomic policy and international cooperation, including senior roles in Mauritania’s government before joining the IMF in 2012.

Zeidane served as prime minister, central bank governor and economic adviser to the president, alongside earlier stints at the World Bank and in commercial banking.

During his earlier tenure in the African Department, Zeidane contributed to shaping IMF policies aimed at addressing the needs of low-income countries, including reforms to concessional lending and crisis-response tools such as the Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust during the pandemic.

His work has also extended to broader institutional policy. While in the IMF’s Strategy, Policy and Review Department, he led efforts on the fund’s 2018 governance framework, linking country-level experience with institutional priorities.

Georgieva pointed to Zeidane’s track record in handling complex policy challenges and building consensus across diverse stakeholders as key to his selection.

“Zeine’s calm and measured approach has proven especially effective in addressing difficult and sensitive challenges,” she said. “I am confident that he will successfully lead AFR with a shared sense of purpose in advancing its mandate and serving our membership.”