Sidi Ould Tah elected President of African Development Bank Group
Mauritania’s Sidi Ould Tah has been elected as the ninth President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), securing the mandate of the institution’s highest decision-making body during its ongoing Annual Meetings in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Tah’s election was confirmed today by Niale Kaba, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Planning and Development and current Chairperson of the AfDB Board of Governors, which is composed of Finance and Economy Ministers or Central Bank Governors from the Bank’s 81 member countries. To be declared winner, a candidate must receive a minimum of 50.01 percent of both the regional and non-regional member votes.
The Mauritanian national brings to the position over three decades of experience in African and international finance. Most recently, he served as President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) for 10 years, during which he oversaw a significant transformation that saw the bank quadruple its balance sheet and attain a prestigious AAA credit rating. His leadership repositioned BADEA among the leading development finance institutions on the continent.
“This is a critical moment for Africa, and I am deeply honoured by the trust placed in me to lead the African Development Bank Group,” Tah is expected to say as he prepares to take over from Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, whose decade-long tenure ends on 31 August 2025. Tah officially assumes office on 1 September 2025 for a renewable five-year term.
Tah’s extensive career includes serving as Mauritania’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance. He has also held influential roles within multilateral institutions, where he focused on crisis response, financial reform, and innovative funding mechanisms. Among his notable achievements is the establishment of BADEA’s $1 billion callable capital programme to support African multilateral development banks.
The race for the AfDB presidency began with five shortlisted candidates, including Amadou Hott of Senegal, Samuel Maimbo of Zambia, Mahamat Abbas Tolli of Chad, and Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala of South Africa. Their candidacies were approved by the Bank’s Board of Governors Steering Committee, with the official list announced on 21 February 2025 following a 31 January deadline.
Tah’s election arrives at a pivotal juncture for the African Development Bank Group, which is marking six decades of operations under the theme “Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development.” While the continent has shown resilience in the face of climate shocks, economic instability, and shifting global dynamics, the Bank has underscored the urgency of accelerating progress to meet both the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
The African Development Bank Group consists of the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, and the Nigeria Trust Fund. Its shareholders include 54 African countries and 27 non-African countries.
Tah joins a distinguished lineage of presidents dating back to the Bank’s establishment in 1964, following in the footsteps of Mamoun Beheiry, Abdelwahab Labidi, Kwame Donkor Fordwor, Willa Mung’Omba, Babacar N’diaye, Omar Kabbaj, Donald Kaberuka, and most recently, Akinwumi Adesina.
His tenure is expected to usher in a renewed era of innovation, strategic partnerships, and intensified efforts to unlock Africa’s capital for sustainable and inclusive development.