Home - Christine Lagarde Takes a Bow From ECB: Inside her last visit to Ghana

Christine Lagarde, the first woman to head the European Central Bank (ECB), announced her departure from the institution on October 29, 2026, after seven years in office.

The French lawyer and politician previously made history as France’s first female finance minister before becoming the first woman to lead the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a position she held from 2011 to 2019.

Lagarde became ECB president in November 2019, taking charge of the institution responsible for monetary policy in the eurozone.

Her last recorded visit to Ghana as IMF Managing Director was from December 16 to 18, 2018, shortly before the country concluded its IMF-supported programme at the end of that year.

During the visit, she held talks with then President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and other government officials.