Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire — Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania has been elected the ninth President of the African Development Bank Group, following a vote by the institution’s Board of Governors during its Annual Meetings currently underway in Abidjan.
Tah, a seasoned economist with more than three decades of experience in African and global finance, secured the required majority of votes from both regional and non-regional member countries. His five-year term will begin on September 1, 2025, succeeding Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, whose second mandate concludes this year.
The election results were announced by Niale Kaba, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Planning and Development and current Chair of the Bank’s Board of Governors, which consists of finance ministers and central bank governors from the Bank’s 81 member countries.
Tah’s appointment follows a rigorous selection process that closed with five officially approved candidates by January 31, and public disclosure on February 21. The four other contenders were Amadou Hott of Senegal, Samuel Maimbo of Zambia, Mahamat Abbas Tolli of Chad, and Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala of South Africa.
Prior to this election, Tah led the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) from 2015, overseeing a decade of strategic transformation. Under his leadership, the bank’s assets quadrupled, it earned a AAA credit rating, and launched a $1 billion callable capital program to support African development banks. He is also a former Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance in Mauritania and has held leadership roles in various multilateral finance institutions.
His election comes at a pivotal moment for the Bank, which is marking over 60 years since its establishment in 1964. With Africa navigating climate disruptions, global financial pressures, and persistent development challenges, the AfDB is under growing pressure to accelerate progress on the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The 2025 Annual Meetings are taking place from May 26 to 30 under the theme “Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development.”
The African Development Bank Group consists of the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, and the Nigeria Trust Fund. It includes 54 African countries and 27 non-African member states.
