Photo caption from left: Akinwumi Adesina and Sidi Ould Tah: Credit: Sahara Reporters
Mauritanian Sidi Ould Tah has been elected president of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group.
The announcement was made at the Bank’s annual meeting held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on Thursday, May 29.
He will replace Nigerian Akinwumi Adesina, the outgoing president, who has served in the capacity since 2015.
Tah was elected by the Bank’s Board of Governors, comprising Finance and Economy Ministers or Central Bank Governors of the bank’s 81 regional and non-regional member countries.
The board is the highest decision-making authority for the bank.
The Minister of Planning and Development for Côte d’Ivoire, and chairman of the board of governors of the bank, Niale Kaba, announced his election.
The winner was required to obtain at least 50.01 per cent of both the regional and non-regional votes.
A Mauritanian national, Tah brings over 35 years of experience in African and international finance.
He served as president of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) for 10 years from 2015 and was a minister of economic affairs and finance of Mauritania.
Tah has held senior roles in multilateral institutions and has led crisis response, financial reform, and innovative resource mobilisation for Africa, including the establishment of BADEA’s $1 billion callable capital programme for African MDBs.
“The Board of Governors Steering Committee received and approved a total of five candidates by the closing date of 31 January 2025. The list of candidates was officially announced on 21 February 2025.
“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,” the AfDB Group stated.
Tah will assume office on September 1, 2025 for a five-year term, following the end of the second mandate of the outgoing president, Adesina.
Some reforms during outgoing President Adesina’s tenure
Adesina’s presidency began in 2015 with the launch of the “High 5s” development priorities: Light Up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialise Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.
Those priorities have made a profound impact as the High 5s have impacted on the lives of over 565 million people across Africa.
From leading the Bank to achieving the largest capital increase in its history, Adesina raised the bank’s capital from $93 billion in 2015 to $318 billion – an unprecedented achievement in the history of the AfDB.
Some of the Bank’s notable achievements include the largest capital increase in its history, from $93 billion in 2015 to $318 billion.
Other major achievement is the record replenishment of the African Development Fund, raising $8.9 billion.
At the Bank Group 2025 Annual General Meeting on Monday, May 26, Adesina remarked, “These are not just figures. They are futures. They are hopes realised.”
=== International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) ===
