Sidi Ould Tah Elected New President of the African Development Bank Group
Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania has been elected as the next President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group. His election was confirmed at the Bank’s 2025 Annual Meetings currently underway in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Tah’s election was announced by Niale Kaba, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Planning and Development and Chairperson of the AfDB Group Board of Governors. The Bank’s Board of Governors is composed of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from its 81 member countries—54 from Africa and 27 from outside the continent—and serves as the Group’s highest decision-making authority.
To secure victory, a candidate must obtain at least 50.01% of the votes from both regional (African) and non-regional (non-African) member countries. Tah emerged the preferred candidate out of five contestants approved by the Board’s Steering Committee, following the close of nominations on January 31, 2025. The official candidate list was published on February 21, 2025.
Tah will assume office on 1 September 2025 for a five-year term, succeeding Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, who completes his second term this year.
Proven Leadership and Deep Financial Expertise
A seasoned development finance expert, Tah brings over 35 years of experience in African and international financial systems. Prior to his election, he served as President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) from 2015, overseeing a major institutional transformation that quadrupled the Bank’s balance sheet and earned it a AAA credit rating.
He also previously held the position of Mauritania’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, and has served in various leadership roles in multilateral development finance institutions. Notably, he spearheaded BADEA’s $1 billion callable capital program aimed at strengthening African multilateral development banks (MDBs).
The other contenders for the AfDB presidency included Senegal’s Amadou Hott, Zambia’s Samuel Maimbo, Chad’s Mahamat Abbas Tolli, and South Africa’s Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala.
A Strategic Transition Amid Africa’s Development Push
Tah’s election comes at a pivotal moment for the AfDB, as the continent grapples with the impacts of climate change, global economic shifts, and the need to fast-track progress on the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This year’s Annual Meetings, themed “Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development,” reflect the urgency of unlocking greater domestic and international financing for transformative development.
The African Development Bank Group, established in 1964, comprises three institutions—the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, and the Nigeria Trust Fund.
List of Past AfDB Presidents:
Mamoun Beheiry (Sudan), 1964–1970
Abdelwahab Labidi (Tunisia), 1970–1976
Kwame Donkor Fordwor (Ghana), 1976–1980
Willa Mung’Omba (Zambia), 1980–1985
Babacar N’diaye (Senegal), 1985–1995
Omar Kabbaj (Morocco), 1995–2005
Donald Kaberuka (Rwanda), 2005–2015
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina (Nigeria), 2015–2025
Tah’s upcoming tenure is expected to focus on strengthening the Bank’s High 5s—Light Up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialise Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa—while mobilising capital to accelerate inclusive, resilient, and sustainable development across the continent.
