Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania has been elected as the ninth President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), marking a new chapter for the continent’s premier financial institution. The announcement was made during the Bank’s Annual Meetings in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Elected by the Bank’s Board of Governors—comprising Finance Ministers, Economy Ministers, and Central Bank Governors from the institution’s 81 member countries—Tah secured the mandate after a rigorous selection process. To win, a candidate must receive over 50.01% of votes from both regional (African) and non-regional (non-African) member countries.
Niale Kaba, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Planning and Development and Chair of the Board of Governors, announced the results on behalf of the electoral body.
A veteran of African finance, Tah brings over three decades of expertise in economic development. He most recently served for a decade as President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), where he spearheaded a sweeping transformation—quadrupling the bank’s balance sheet, earning it a AAA credit rating, and positioning it among the top-tier development institutions operating in Africa.
Tah previously served as Mauritania’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance and has held several senior roles in multilateral institutions. He is widely recognized for his leadership in crisis response, innovative financing, and institutional reform, including the creation of a $1 billion callable capital program to support African multilateral development banks.
Tah will officially take office on September 1, 2025, succeeding Dr. Akinwumi Adesina of Nigeria, whose second five-year term concludes this year.
The presidential race saw strong contenders from across the continent, including:
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Amadou Hott (Senegal)
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Samuel Maimbo (Zambia)
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Mahamat Abbas Tolli (Chad)
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Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala (South Africa)
The nomination process closed on January 31, 2025, and the final list of approved candidates was released on February 21, 2025.
Tah now joins a distinguished list of AfDB leaders since its founding in 1964:
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Mamoun Beheiry (Sudan) – 1964–1970
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Abdelwahab Labidi (Tunisia) – 1970–1976
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Kwame Donkor Fordwor (Ghana) – 1976–1980
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Willa Mung’Omba (Zambia) – 1980–1985
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Babacar N’diaye (Senegal) – 1985–1995
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Omar Kabbaj (Morocco) – 1995–2005
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Donald Kaberuka (Rwanda) – 2005–2015
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Dr. Akinwumi Adesina (Nigeria) – 2015–2025
His election comes at a pivotal moment for the AfDB, as the continent grapples with the intersecting challenges of climate change, economic instability, and global uncertainty. The Bank continues to emphasize the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, encapsulated in its strategic “High 5s” agenda.
This year’s AfDB Annual Meetings, held from May 26 to 30, revolve around the theme: “Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development.”
The African Development Bank Group consists of three institutions: the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, and the Nigeria Trust Fund. It is owned by 54 African nations and 27 non-African member countries.
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