Dr. Baba Yusuf Musa is an internationally acclaimed economist, seasoned public finance expert, and leading authority in sovereign debt management, with an illustrious career spanning over three decades of transformative service across the African continent. As the current Director General of the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM), a flagship institution founded by the central banks of The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone; Dr. Musa has championed a bold vision for economic transformation, institutional resilience, and regional integration through capacity development and policy innovation.

A dynamic strategist and institutional reformer, Dr. Musa’s professional journey reflects an unyielding commitment to strengthening public financial management systems and building sustainable macroeconomic frameworks. At WAIFEM, he leads strategic programming that has trained thousands of senior officials from central banks, ministries of finance, planning commissions, and debt management offices in areas including macroeconomic analysis, debt sustainability, fiscal governance, and monetary policy design. His tenure has seen the Institute become a pan-African center of excellence in economic training and research, enhancing economic governance and human capital development across Anglophone West Africa and beyond.

Before he was appointed Director General, Dr. Musa served with distinction as Director of Fiscal Policy, Debt Management, and Regional Integration at WAIFEM from 2011 to 2018. He earlier spent over 21 years at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), where he held several key technical and policy roles, contributing significantly to macroeconomic stabilization, financial sector reform, and public debt coordination efforts at both national and sub-national levels.

Dr. Musa has played an instrumental role in designing and implementing Medium-Term Debt Management Strategies (MTDS), Debt Sustainability Analyses (DSAs), and Debt Management Performance Assessments (DeMPAs) for numerous African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Liberia. He has also led technical teams in the review and reform of public debt management laws and fiscal responsibility frameworks under programs such as Nigeria’s State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability, and Sustainability (SFTAS) initiative.

A highly respected voice in international economic circles, Dr. Musa is frequently engaged by multilateral development institutions, including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), African Development Bank (AfDB), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

(UNCTAD), and the African Legal Support Facility (ALSF). He has conducted high-level technical assistance and policy advisory missions, developed reform action plans, and facilitated training for senior policymakers, helping countries build strong foundations for fiscal stability, debt transparency, and financial sector resilience.

Dr. Musa’s expertise has been central to several sovereign debt restructuring negotiations, particularly with major creditor groups such as the Paris Club, and he continues to serve on global economic governance platforms including the Technical Advisory Committee of the World Bank’s Debt Management Facility (DMF) and its Implementation Coordination Group (ICG). Through these roles, he has contributed to shaping global best practices in sovereign debt governance, risk management, and transparency.

A prolific scholar and intellectual leader, Dr. Musa serves as Editor-in-Chief of the West African Financial and Economic Review (WAFER) and sits on editorial boards including the Journal of Banking of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN). His thought leadership is evident in his extensive body of publications addressing regional integration, fiscal sustainability, the impact of global economic shocks, and strategic debt management.

His recent works include co-authoring two landmark publications:

• Understanding Sovereign Debt: Options and Opportunities for Africa (ALSF, 2021)
• Economic Impacts and Challenges of COVID-19: The Experience of WAIFEM Member Countries (WAIFEM, 2022)

In 2024, his legacy was celebrated through a widely acclaimed compendium, Dynamics of Public Debt Management and Economic Development in Africa, which brought together 40 leading economists and practitioners to honor his outstanding contributions to Africa’s public finance landscape.

Dr. Musa is equally active in the academic and policy communities. As Vice President of the Nigerian Economic Society (NES), he continues to influence economic thought and public policy discourse in Nigeria and across the region. His advisory footprint extends across the continent, where he has helped governments rethink fiscal responsibility legislation, improve debt transparency, and institutionalize forward-looking public financial management systems.

Dr. Musa holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Economics, an MBA in Finance, and a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Economics. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (FCIB) and a Fellow of the Compliance Institute of Nigeria, and he has earned several professional certifications in public financial management, debt strategy, and economic governance.

Born in Barikin Ladi, Plateau State, Nigeria, Dr. Musa combines intellectual rigor with a deep sense of public service. He is admired for his humility, strategic foresight, and relentless dedication to sustainable development. His influence spans technical, institutional, and policy dimensions, and his work continues to inspire a new generation of African economists, policymakers, and public sector leaders.

In every role he has undertaken, Dr. Musa has demonstrated a rare ability to bridge theory and practice, mobilizing knowledge, partnerships, and institutional reform to drive Africa’s development agenda. His legacy is one of excellence, impact, and visionary leadership in the service of Africa’s economic transformation