Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania has been elected as the ninth President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group. His election was announced on Thursday via the official website of the Bank.
Tah is set to assume office on September 1, 2025, succeeding Dr. Akinwumi Adesina of Nigeria, whose decade-long tenure concludes this year.
The election took place during the AfDB’s Annual Meetings held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Members of the Bank’s Board of Governors, composed of finance ministers and central bank governors from the institution’s 81 member countries, conducted several rounds of voting before confirming Tah as the winner.
He emerged victorious ahead of four other contenders: Amadou Hott of Senegal, Samuel Maimbo of Zambia, Abbas Mahamat Tolli of Chad, and Swazi Tshabalala of South Africa.
Born in Mederdra, Mauritania, in 1964, Tah holds a doctorate in Economics from the University of Nice-Sophia-Antipolis in France. He has also completed executive education programmes at Harvard University and London Business School.
Tah previously served as Mauritania’s Minister of Economic Affairs and most recently as Director General of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA). Under his leadership, BADEA’s balance sheet quadrupled, and the bank achieved a AAA credit rating.
His candidacy for the AfDB presidency focused on key priorities such as mobilising private capital, formalising the informal economy, expanding infrastructure investment, and enhancing climate resilience. He also committed to strengthening partnerships with the private sector to accelerate development across Africa.
The African Development Bank plays a critical role in financing infrastructure, energy, agriculture, and industrial projects throughout the continent. Tah’s election comes at a pivotal moment, as Africa faces a host of challenges, including rising debt burdens, limited fiscal capacity, and the increasing impact of climate change.
His leadership is expected to shape the Bank’s strategic direction as it works to support inclusive and sustainable growth across its member states.
