Dr. Sidi Ould Tah from Mauritania has emerged as the next President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), following a closely contested election conducted by the institution’s Board of Governors on Thursday.
The election results were announced on the Bank’s official website the same day.
Tah will take over from Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina on September 1, 2025, beginning a five-year term as the ninth president of the Bank.
The Board of Governors, which comprises finance ministers, economy ministers, and central bank governors from the Bank’s 81 member countries, both African and non-African, chose Tah after three rounds of voting.
To win, a candidate needed to secure both a majority of votes from all member countries and a majority among the 54 African nations that belong to the AfDB.
Tah met both criteria, clinching 76.18 percent of the total vote and 72.37 percent of the African vote.
He outperformed four other candidates vying for the post: Senegal’s Amadou Hott, Zambia’s Samuel Munzele Maimbo, Chad’s Mahamat Abbas Tolli, and South Africa’s Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala.
Maimbo came in second with 20.26 percent, followed by Hott with 3.55 percent.
Tah, 60, brings with him a decade of experience as head of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), a role that exposed him to development financing across both North and sub-Saharan Africa.
Observers believe his tenure at BADEA could help bridge divides within the continent and enhance collaboration across regions.
In outlining his agenda for the Bank, Tah emphasized support for regional financial institutions, strengthening Africa’s presence in global capital markets, adapting infrastructure for climate resilience, and leveraging demographic trends for economic growth.
He takes over the leadership of a bank that has grown in both influence and capital under Adesina’s stewardship.
Since 2015, the AfDB’s capital base has expanded from 93 billion dollars to 318 billion dollars.
According to Adesina, over 565 million people have benefitted from AfDB-funded projects during his tenure. These include initiatives like the Gabal El Asfar wastewater treatment facility in Egypt, described as the continent’s largest, expansion of the Port of Lomé in Togo, sanitation improvements in Lesotho, electricity access in Kenya, and the construction of a bridge linking Senegal and The Gambia.
“I am proud of the legacy we are leaving behind for the bank and for Africa,” Adesina said in a statement earlier in the week.
“We have built a world-class financial institution that will continue to advance Africa’s position within a rapidly changing global development and geopolitical environment.”
Tah’s election comes at a time of global economic uncertainty, including new pressures linked to U.S. policy shifts under the Trump administration.
One of the immediate challenges the incoming president may face is the potential loss of 500 million dollars in U.S. funding designated for supporting low-income countries through AfDB projects.
Despite these challenges, all five candidates, including Tah, committed during the campaign to continue strengthening the Bank’s focus on development goals.
They reaffirmed support for the institution’s current strategic priorities which are improving energy access, food security, industrialisation, regional integration, and quality of life.
Reflecting on the outcome of the vote, Zambia’s Maimbo, who placed second, offered his congratulations.
“I wish to congratulate Dr Sidi Ould Tah on his successful election as the President-elect of the African Development Bank Group,” he said.
“I entered this race driven by love and deep concern for our continent and offered a vision for Africa’s future. Today, the Governors have chosen the leader they believe will best deliver the vision of the Africa we want at this pivotal moment.”
Established in 1964, the AfDB is one of the world’s major multilateral development finance institutions. It is funded by member subscriptions, repayments from previous loans, and capital raised in international markets.
