A former Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance in Mauritania, Sidi Ould Tah, has been elected as the ninth President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group.
The announcement was made on Thursday during the Bank’s Annual Meetings held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Tah will officially assume office on September 1, 2025, succeeding Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, who will step down on August 31 after completing the maximum two five-year terms in office.
The election was conducted by the Board of Governors of the Bank Group, composed of Ministers of Finance, Economy and Central Bank Governors from the Bank’s 81 regional and non-regional member countries.
According to AfDB regulations, candidates must secure at least 50.01% of both the regional and non-regional votes to be crowned winner.
Announcing the results, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Planning and Development and Chairperson of the Board of Governors, Nialé Kaba, confirmed Tah’s victory after a competitive election that featured four other candidates: Amadou Hott (Senegal), Samuel Maimbo (Zambia), Mahamat Abbas Tolli (Chad), and Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala (South Africa).
Addressing the media and the Board of Governors shortly after his election, Tah expressed readiness to take on the new responsibility.
“Let’s go to work now. I’m ready!” he said in his first remarks as president-elect.
Tah further pledged to build on the legacy of his predecessor, “I pay tribute to Dr Akinwumi Adesina for his visionary leadership. He has set a high bar by tripling the Bank’s capital to $318 billion and launching transformative initiatives like Mission 300,” he said.
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Meanwhile, Tah has more than 35 years of experience in African and International Finance. He served as President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) from 2015 to 2025, where he led a remarkable transformation of the institution.
Under his leadership, BADEA’s balance sheet quadrupled, the Bank attained a AAA credit rating, and it rose to become one of Africa’s top-rated development finance institutions.
Dr Adesina, whose term ends in August, is widely credited with spearheading major reforms and initiatives, including Mission 300, a partnership with the World Bank aiming to provide electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030.
The election of Tah comes at a pivotal moment for the Bank and Africa as the continent faces declining overseas development aid, rising tariffs, volatile commodity prices, and growing economic uncertainty.
“Africa is at a crossroads. The AfDB must continue to be a catalyst for sustainable development, private sector investment, and economic resilience.
“The election of a new president comes at a crucial time in the Bank Group’s six decades of existence. Africa has remained resilient despite climate shocks, economic disruption, and a shifting geopolitical landscape, but needs to move faster or risk falling behind on delivering on the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals, summed up in the Bank Group’s High 5’s”, according to a statement by AFDB.
The 2025 Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank Group, held from May 26 to 30 in Abidjan, is themed: “Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development.”
The African Development Bank Group comprises three entities including The African Development Bank, The African Development Fund, and The Nigeria Trust Fund. It has 81 shareholders, including 54 African regional member countries and 27 non-regional countries.
Meanwhile, since its inception, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has been led by eight presidents from across the continent, reflecting its pan-African character. The founding president was Mamoun Beheiry of Sudan (1964–1970), followed by Abdelwahab Labidi of Tunisia (1970–1976), and Kwame Donkor Fordwor of Ghana (1976–1980).
Willa Mung’Omba of Zambia (1980–1985), Babacar N’diaye of Senegal (1985–1995), Omar Kabbaj of Morocco (1995–2005), and Donald Kaberuka of Rwanda (2005–2015).
The most recent president, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina of Nigeria, served from 2015 to 2025, with a maximum of two terms. Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania as the ninth president-elect, will begin his term on September 1, 2025.
