Patrick Njoroge served as the ninth Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) from June 2015 to June 2023. During his tenure, he oversaw an overhaul of the banking system, including the launch of Kenya’s first Banking Sector Charter and upgrading CBK’s supervision. Other parts of the financial sector were also strengthened, including the National Payments System. In November 2018, Dr. Njoroge was appointed to the UN Task Force on Digital Financing of the SDGs by Secretary General Antonio Guterres, whose final report was launched in August 2020. He also served as Co-Chair of the High-Level Roundtable of the Dialogue on Global Digital Finance Governance, which extended the work of the UN Secretary General’s Task Force and was hosted virtually by the Swiss Government.
Dr. Njoroge joined CBK after a twenty-year career at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, DC. Prior to his appointment as Governor, Dr. Njoroge was Advisor to the IMF Deputy Managing Director from December 2012, where his responsibilities included assisting in overseeing the IMF’s engagement with a large swath of IMF members. He also served as Deputy Division Chief in the IMF’s Finance Department (2006-2012), IMF’s Mission Chief for the Commonwealth of Dominica (2005-2006) and in other capacities since 1995. Prior to joining the IMF, Dr. Njoroge had worked in Kenya as an Economist at the Ministry of Finance (1993-1994) and as a Planning Officer at the Ministry of Planning (1985-1987).
He is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Yale Program on Financial Stability, and co-chair of the Debt Relief for Green and Inclusive Recovery Project.
He holds a PhD in Economics from Yale University, and Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Economics from the University of Nairobi. Dr. Njoroge’s professional interests are in FinTech and innovation, monetary policy, international finance, and development economics. He co-edited the volume “50 Years of Central Banking in Kenya: Regional and Global Perspectives” which was published in 2021. He has received several awards and recognitions, including four awards for Africa’s Central Banker of the Year, and recognition in 2023 as a Top 25 African Finance Leader.