Ibrahim L. Stevens

Dr Ibrahim Stevens currently serves as the Governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone, a position he has held since November 2023. His distinguished career at the Bank of Sierra Leone commenced with his appointment as Director of Research from 2008 to 2010, during which he was seconded from the Bank of England. Subsequently, he was appointed Deputy Governor in July 2014. His exceptional leadership and expertise led to his reappointment for a second five-year term in 2019. Following the enactment of the Bank of Sierra Leone Act 2019, he assumed the role of First Deputy Governor, with oversight responsibility for monetary stability. Before joining the Bank, Dr Stevens held significant positions, including Country Programme Director at the International Growth Centre (IGC) at the London School of Economics, Macroeconomic Adviser to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development in Rwanda, and Head of Project for the German International Cooperation (GIZ)-funded initiative on macroeconomic advice to Rwanda. His diverse experience also includes a decade-long tenure at the Bank of England, where he contributed to financial stability, monetary analysis, and served as a Senior Adviser at the Bank’s Centre for Central Banking Studies (CCBS). As Governor, Dr Stevens has led key reforms at the Bank of Sierra Leone, spanning monetary policy, financial system stability, currency management, financial inclusion, and payment systems, including the recent launch of the Instant Payment Service (IPS) under the National Switch project. His research interests focus on financial stability, monetary analysis, and applied financial econometrics, with publications in esteemed academic journals. Dr Stevens holds a BSc Econ (Hons) from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, an MSc in Business Finance (Financial Economics) from Brunel University London, and a PhD in Financial Economics from Durham University. His academic engagements include roles as a Visiting Fellow at Durham University and a Visiting Professor at Queen Mary University of London, where he taught Advanced Macroeconomics.