Meet the new IMF mission chief and lead negotiator for Ghana’s IMF programme

The International Monetary Fund has appointed Stephane Roudet to lead the Fund’s Mission team to Ghana as it holds bailout negotiations with government for an economic programme.

According to a Joy Business report, Mr Roudet takes over from Carlo Sdralevich who has taken up another assignment at the Fund’s Finance Department.

Stephane Roudet, prior to the appointment, served as the immediate Advisor at office of the IMF Managing Director.

Explaining the rationale behind the change, the IMF said, “this change is part of our regular rotation of staff assignments. Mr. Carlo Sdralevich, the outgoing MC, will be taking on another assignment in the IMF’s Finance Department.”

Stephane Roudet has however assumed the new role effective September 1, 2022.

Brief profile of Stephane Roudet

Stephane Roudet previously served as an Advisor in the Office of the Managing Director, working on a wide range of surveillance and programme countries. He also focused policy issues that include surveillance policy, LICs and fragile states, governance, inequality and gender, and structural reforms.

After joining the IMF following years of working in the private sector, Stephane Roudet held various positions in the African and European departments where he worked as a desk economist on several programme countries, and in the Middle East and Central Asia department, as assistant to the Director and Mission Chief for Kuwait, Oman, and Djibouti.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta recently returned to the country following a meeting with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, Asaase Radio has reported.

Officials from Ghana and the IMF met in Washington DC-USA where Ken Ofori-Atta was also reported to have undergone a routine medical review.

In an earlier tweet detailing some aspects of the meeting, the IMF boss described her engagement with Ghana’s finance minister as constructive and further reaffirmed the Fund’s commitment to support government’s efforts to restore economic stability following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and external pressures.

“Constructive meeting with Ghana’s Finance Minister Ofori-Atta & his team on Ghana’s economic challenges and the way forward. We are ready to do our part to help the authorities stabilize the economy, lay the ground for stronger growth & help the most vulnerable,” Kristalina Georgieva wrote.

On July 1, 2022, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ordered Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to present an economic rescue programme to the IMF following the current economic conditions in the country.

A team from the Fund led by Carlo Sdralevich subsequently visited Ghana between July 6 – 13, meeting with relevant stakeholders.

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Reports indicate that government is seeking US$3 billion from the fund to help stabilize the economy. Government has serially blamed the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war for the economic headaches.