Abidjan. Mauritania’s Sidi Ould Tah has been elected the ninth President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, following a decisive vote held during the institution’s Annual Meetings currently underway in Abidjan.
Tah was elected by the Bank’s Board of Governors, which brings together Finance Ministers, Economy Ministers, and Central Bank Governors from the Group’s 81 regional and non-regional member countries.
The Board is the Bank’s highest decision-making body.
The announcement was made by Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Planning and Development, Nialé Kaba, who chairs the Board of Governors.
To secure the presidency, a candidate must obtain at least 50.01 per cent of the votes from both regional and non-regional member countries.
Tah emerged victorious from a shortlist of five candidates, including Senegal’s Amadou Hott, Zambia’s Samuel Maimbo, Chad’s Mahamat Abbas Tolli, and South Africa’s Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala.
He will officially assume office on 1 September 2025 for a five-year term, succeeding Nigeria’s Dr Akinwumi Adesina, whose decade-long tenure concludes later this year.
A seasoned financial expert with more than 35 years of experience in African and international finance, Tah brings a wealth of leadership to the helm of the Bank.
President of BADEA
He has served as President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) since 2015, where he oversaw a comprehensive institutional transformation that quadrupled the Bank’s balance sheet, earned it a AAA rating, and elevated its standing among the continent’s leading development finance institutions.
Prior to his tenure at BADEA, Tah served as Mauritania’s minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, and held various senior positions in multilateral financial institutions.
He has spearheaded crisis response strategies, financial sector reforms, and innovative financing initiatives for African economies.
Notably, he pioneered BADEA’s $1 billion callable capital programme to bolster African multilateral development banks.
This year’s election comes at a pivotal juncture for the AfDB Group, which celebrates six decades of fostering economic development across the continent.
Amid global climate shocks, economic uncertainty and a shifting geopolitical environment, the Bank has continued to champion inclusive and sustainable growth.
AU Agenda’63
The need to accelerate progress towards the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals remains pressing, with the AfDB’s “High 5s” strategic priorities serving as a roadmap for action.
The 2025 Annual Meetings of the Bank Group, running from 26 to 30 May in Abidjan, are being held under the theme Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development.
Established in 1964, the African Development Bank Group comprises three constituent institutions: the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, and the Nigeria Trust Fund.
Its shareholders include 54 African countries and 27 non-regional member countries.
Tah joins a distinguished list of past AfDB presidents, including 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 the outgoing Dr Akinwumi Adesina (Nigeria).
The election underscores the Bank’s continued commitment to strong and visionary leadership as it navigates the next phase of Africa’s development journey.
