Africa should silence guns in order to reach its full development potential, former IMF chief Christine Lagarde has said.

"Peace is the primary condition," Lagarde told AFP in an interview.

Lagarde was speaking about her time at the helm of the world financial institution, where she spent eight years.

She noted that conflicts around Africa had forced millions of people to flee their homes, a trend that ultimately impacts the host countries.

Records from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, show that about three million people have been displaced by war in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo alone.

"Everything is connected,” she said. "Refugees do not leave their country with joy.”

Lagarde asserted that peace was a key ingredient of economic progression in all countries.

"Conflict is a considerable obstacle to development. I do not know of any country that has been able to or can develop economically if there is no peace.”

The 63-year-old however noted that there has been some improvements across the continent, with some countries' growth rates rivaling advanced economies.

"I think that there are many countries where there has been significant improvement," she said, especially in the awareness of the economic policies needed for development.

Lagarde officially stepped down as IMF managing director last week, a position she relinquished following her nomination as the president of the European Central Bank.