IMF officials visit ABU for fireside chat with staff and students
Officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were today, Tuesday, 7th July, 2026, in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where they had a fireside chat with the staff and students of the Department of Economics.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adamu Ahmed, who declared the chat open, appreciated the IMF Nigeria Office for the engagement.
Ahmed was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Advancement, Research and Innovation, Prof Sanusi Aliyu Rafindadi.
He said the engagement encouraged knowledge sharing between stakeholders and the academia.
Prof Ahmed said universities had unique responsibilities in ensuring that engagement like this provides an opportunity for meaningful discourse between students and IMF.
He encouraged students to listen attentively, as well as respectfully challenge ideas and ask meaningful questions.
The Vice-Chancellor thanked the Fund for choosing ABU out of so many other institutions.
In an address of welcome, the Head, Department of Economics, Prof Suleiman Dahiru, said the IMF representatives were at ABU to discuss policy issues with relevant stakeholders in the academic setting.
Prof Dahiru said the focus would be on Article IV of the IMF.
Discussing the IMF’s Article IV Consultation and Nigeria’s Outlook, IMF economist, Zainab Mangga, said the World Bank focuses on micro economics, while the IMF focuses on macro economics.
IMF, according to her, came in with different experts in different government agencies that deal in different financial areas.
In a closing remark, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof Shamsudden Mohammed, advised IMF to engage in serious public relations in order to further enlighten the general public on many activities of the Fund.
Mohammed expressed gratitude to the financial institution for bringing the discussion to their doorstep.
The IMF team had earlier paid a courtesy call on the Vice-Chancellor. The team was led by its Resident Representative, Dr Christian Ebeke.
Dr Ebeke informed the Vice-Chancellor that they decided to come to ABU, because the institution had trained different policy makers in the different financial sectors of the country.
The Representative said it was their duty to come and discuss policies with the university, while it remained the duty of the academics to shape those policies.
Responding, the Vice-Chancellor said he would like to see IMF officials more often, so that the voice of the university could be heard.
The fireside chat featured panel discussion, open dialogue and reflections and questions and answers session.
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Public Affairs Directorate,
Office of the Vice-Chancellor,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (NEWS/AHW/PIC/TKU)
Tuesday, 7th July, 2026
