Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania has been elected the ninth President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group.
The announcement was made on Thursday in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, during the institution’s Annual Meetings, currently underway from May 26 to 30.
His election followed a vote by the Bank Group’s Board of Governors, which comprises Finance and Economy Ministers and Central Bank Governors from the Bank’s 81 member countries, including both regional and non-regional members. The results were formally announced by Niale Kaba, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Planning and Development and Chair of the Board of Governors.
According to the Bank’s electoral rules, a candidate must receive more than 50.01% of the vote from both regional and non-regional members to be declared the winner.
Tah, who is set to begin his five-year term on September 1, 2025, will succeed Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, whose second term ends this year.
Tah enters the role with over 35 years of experience in international and African finance. Most recently, he served as president of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), a position he held for ten years from 2015. During his tenure, BADEA underwent a structural transformation that saw its balance sheet quadruple and its credit rating rise to AAA.
Speaking after the vote, Tah acknowledged the challenges ahead, particularly the pace of development needed across the continent. “Africa cannot afford to fall behind. This institution must continue to be bold in mobilising the capital, partnerships and innovation needed to deliver on our collective goals,” he said.
A former Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance in Mauritania, Tah has also worked with several multilateral institutions, including on crisis response and resource mobilisation. His past efforts include the creation of BADEA’s \$1 billion callable capital programme for African multilateral development banks.
The 2025 election attracted five candidates. Alongside Tah were Amadou Hott of Senegal, Samuel Maimbo of Zambia, Mahamat Abbas Tolli of Chad, and Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala of South Africa. Their candidacies were reviewed and approved by the Board of Governors Steering Committee by the 31 January deadline, with the official list released on 21 February.
The change in leadership comes at a time of growing pressure on African institutions to respond more effectively to a range of economic, social, and environmental challenges. This year’s annual meetings are being held under the theme *“Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development.”*
Since its founding in 1964, the African Development Bank has had eight presidents. Tah will be the first Mauritanian to lead the institution. The Bank’s past presidents include Mamoun Beheiry (Sudan), Abdelwahab Labidi (Tunisia), Kwame Donkor Fordwor (Ghana), Willa Mung’Omba (Zambia), Babacar N’diaye (Senegal), Omar Kabbaj (Morocco), Donald Kaberuka (Rwanda), and Akinwumi Adesina (Nigeria).
The AfDB Group comprises three entities: the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, and the Nigeria Trust Fund. Its membership spans 54 African countries and 27 non-African states.
