IMF’s Antoinette Sayeh-A Global Thought Leader for Challenging Times-By Drive Africa Writer

Antoinette Sayeh is Deputy Managing Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) where she is the first African to be appointed to the position since 1999. Sayeh, who also previously served as former Liberian Finance minister, was appointed early 2020.  She had served as Minister of Finance of Liberia under the government of Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, the country’s first female president. In the role, Sayeh is widely credited for helping the country to settle its longstanding debt obligations with the country’s multilateral lenders. She also led the country towards the HIPC decision point and through the execution of its Poverty Reduction Strategy.  In addition to her stellar policy and analytical acumen, Sayeh is also widely respected for her diplomatic and relationship building skills.

These capabilities were brought to bear during her role as the Director of the Africa Department at the IMF where she is believed to have helped strengthen institution’s relationship with countries in the Sub Saharan African region. Sayeh holds a PhD in International Economic Relations from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. She also holds a Bachelors in Economics with honors from Swarthmore College. Sayeh has served on a variety of boards including Board of Directors of Emerging Public Leaders, the Board of Managers of Swarthmore College, and the Board of Directors of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development. She has also served as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD)