Brahima Coulibaly named director of the Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dr. Brahima Coulibaly has been named senior fellow and director of the Africa Growth Initiative (AGI), beginning March 28. Coulibaly replaces Dr. Amadou Sy, who recently stepped down to return to the International Monetary Fund. Dr. Sy is now an advisor in the Fund’s Africa Department and will also serve as a nonresident senior fellow with AGI.

Coulibaly, who has over 20 years of experience as an economist, teacher, and international finance expert, has for the past four years been chief of the emerging market economies group at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. In addition to providing intellectual leadership on economic and financial issues facing emerging market economies, he often represented the Fed in international meetings and working groups on topics pertaining to international finance. Starting at the Fed as a junior economist in 2004, Coulibaly was promoted to senior economist in 2007, principal economist in 2009, then became chief of the emerging market economies group in 2013.

“I am delighted that Brahima Coulibaly will head the Africa Growth Initiative and advance the research and dynamic collaboration sustained under the leadership of Amadou Sy,” said Kemal Derviş, vice president and director of the Global Economy and Development program. “Given the commodity slump and rising concerns over debt and fiscal issues in many countries in the region, it is vital to provide rigorous policy analysis on the issues affecting Africa’s growth and development. Brahima’s deep knowledge of the region, as well as his fiscal and financial acumen, are exactly what AGI needs to forge ahead.”

Coulibaly has a strong academic background. He taught economics and international finance at Georgetown University, the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia, and the University of Michigan. He has published extensively on various topics in macroeconomics, development, international finance, monetary economics, and trade. A native of Côte d’Ivoire, he holds a Ph.D. and a Master’s in economics, both from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor’s degree in statistics from the University of California at Berkeley.

The Africa Growth Initiative is housed in the Global Economy and Development program. The initiative was established in 2008 to conduct high-quality policy research and analysis focused on attaining sustainable economic development and prosperity in Africa, while amplifying the voice of African experts in policymaking and planning.