The African Development Bank (AfDB) has elected Mauritania’s Sidi Ould Tah as its ninth President, following a highly anticipated vote held during the Bank’s Annual Meetings in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Tah is set to assume office on September 1, 2025, succeeding Nigeria’s Akinwumi Adesina, who will complete his second and final five-year term at the helm of the Bank.
The announcement was made on Thursday via the AfDB’s official website, confirming that Tah secured the required majority—over 50.01% of votes from both regional and non-regional member countries—after multiple rounds of voting by the Bank’s Board of Governors, which includes finance and economy ministers or central bank governors from the institution’s 81 member nations.
Tah emerged victorious over four other contenders: Amadou Hott (Senegal), Samuel Maimbo (Zambia), Abbas Mahamat Tolli (Chad), and Swazi Tshabalala (South Africa).
At the opening ceremony of the Annual Meetings, outgoing President Akinwumi Adesina reflected on his decade-long leadership of the AfDB, highlighting major achievements and projects initiated under his tenure.
“Over the 10-year period under my presidency, the African Development Bank would have provided a total of $102 billion in support to Africa,” Adesina said. “This represents 46% of all the financing of the Bank since its establishment in 1964.”
He further revealed that the AfDB had mobilised $15 billion in investment commitments for the Lagos–Abidjan Highway Corridor, a transformative infrastructure project aimed at enhancing trade and mobility across five West African countries.
Adesina also noted significant progress in other sectors, including the Noor Ouarzazate solar complex in Morocco, agro-industrial zones in Nigeria, and debt relief support to countries such as Somalia and Sudan.
Tah’s election marks a new era for the AfDB, which is widely regarded as Africa’s premier development finance institution. With growing pressure to scale infrastructure, climate resilience, and economic integration across the continent, expectations are high for the Mauritanian economist’s leadership.
The official transition of power will take place on September 1, 2025, at AfDB headquarters in Abidjan.
