Zeine Ould Zeidane occupies one of the most influential positions shaping the economic dialogue between Africa and the world. As Director of the African Department of the International Monetary Fund, he oversees the Fund’s operations and engagement across 45 sub-Saharan African countries, working with the region’s governments to strengthen macroeconomic policy and help Africa realise its full potential.
Zeidane assumed the role in 2026, bringing more than two decades of experience in macroeconomic policymaking and international cooperation. His career uniquely combines the perspectives of the policymaker and the multilateral institution. Within the IMF, he has risen through senior posts: Deputy Director of both the Middle East and Central Asia Department and the African Department, Assistant Director in the Strategy, Policy and Review Department, and Mission Chief for the United Arab Emirates and Algeria.
That institutional expertise is grounded in real national leadership. Before joining the Fund in 2012, Zeidane served as Prime Minister of Mauritania in 2007 and 2008, and earlier as Governor of the country’s central bank and Economic Advisor to the President. Few officials bring to the IMF’s Africa portfolio such direct experience of governing an economy from the very top. He holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics and a postgraduate degree in Macroeconomics from the University of Nice. His blend of analytical rigour and hands-on governing experience positions him as a crucial interlocutor as the Fund deepens its engagement across the continent.
