IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde Appoints Abebe Aemro Selassie as Director of the IMF’s African Department

IMF News, September 15, 2016

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Canonical URL: IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde Appoints Abebe Aemro Selassie as Director of the IMF’s African Department

Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, announced her intention to appoint Mr. Selassie as Director of the African Department.
Quote from Ms. Lagarde:
- "Abe brings a profound understanding of the challenges facing Africa, having worked closely with policymakers from across the region for much of his career. His proven ability to provide intellectual leadership, track record of building collaborative relationships, analytical depth, and warm collegiality make him ideally placed to lead the IMF’s work with our membership in sub-Saharan Africa. Having had the opportunity to work with Abe over the last five years, I have been struck by his sound judgement, integrity, and commitment to teamwork."
Additional Ms. Lagarde statement:
- "The IMF remains deeply committed to serving our members in Africa. Abe will bring a unique blend of extensive knowledge and experience to his new position as Director of the African Department."

Nationality: Ethiopian
IMF tenure: Joined the Fund in 1994
IMF African Department roles:
- Senior resident representative in Uganda
- Mission chief for South Africa
- Led work on the Regional Economic Outlook
- Worked on countries including Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone
- Most recently oversaw the IMF’s effort to assist the three Ebola-stricken countries
Other IMF department experience:
- Assignments in the Strategy, Policy and Review Department and the European Department
- Worked on Turkey and Poland between 1999 and 2003
- Assistant Director and mission chief for Portugal during the Eurozone crisis
- Worked on low-income country and emerging-market program and policy design issues
Pre-IMF experience:
- Economist Intelligence Unit, specializing in sovereign credit risk issues
- Ethiopian government: Principal Economist in the Office of the President

IMF Communications Department — MEDIA RELATIONS
- Phone: +1 202 623-7100
- Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

Source: IMF press release dated September 15, 2016.