In a decision poised to shape the future of Africa’s development agenda, Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania has been elected the new President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB). His election, announced during the Bank’s 2025 Annual Meetings in Abidjan, marks a generational shift and a bold statement on the direction the continent’s premier financial institution is heading.
Tah, a veteran economist and financier, will formally assume office on September 1, 2025, for a five-year renewable term. He will succeed Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, whose transformative decade-long leadership concludes in August 2025. The new president becomes the ninth head of the institution since its establishment in 1964.
A Tested Technocrat with Pan-African Vision
Sidi Ould Tah is no stranger to Africa’s development corridors. With over three decades of experience spanning multilateral finance, policy reform, and economic development, Tah brings a wealth of technical competence and diplomatic clout to the role.
Until April 2025, he served as President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), where he led an ambitious institutional overhaul that quadrupled the bank’s balance sheet, earned it a prestigious AAA credit rating, and placed it among Africa’s most credible development financiers. Under Tah’s stewardship, BADEA became a model for innovation in African development banking, with a focus on sustainable financing, crisis response, and resource mobilization.
He previously served as Mauritania’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance and held key positions in several regional and international financial institutions. Tah’s career is marked by a strong emphasis on structural reforms, debt sustainability, and institution-building. Notably, he championed BADEA’s $1 billion callable capital program for African Multilateral Development Banks, designed to strengthen the financial footing of African-led development initiatives.
Tah’s election followed a rigorous and competitive process that began in January 2025, featuring five shortlisted candidates from across the continent, including Senegal’s Amadou Hott and South Africa’s Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala. Ultimately, it was Tah’s cross-regional appeal and proven record in leading African financial institutions that secured him the top job.
The AfDB He Inherits: Progress, Promise, and Pressure
As Tah prepares to take the reins, the African Development Bank stands at a critical crossroads. The institution, headquartered in Abidjan, has earned a global reputation under Adesina’s leadership for its commitment to transformative projects—ranging from infrastructure development and energy access to agricultural productivity and climate resilience.
Adesina’s signature High 5s strategy—Light up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for Africans—has largely shaped the Bank’s priorities over the past decade. It won accolades for championing renewable energy, pushing for food security, and standing firm during debt negotiations with international creditors.
However, challenges remain.
The AfDB is navigating a continent still grappling with the aftershocks of COVID-19, geopolitical instability, rising debt burdens, and the urgent imperatives of climate adaptation. While the Bank has committed billions to green financing and post-pandemic recovery, questions linger around project execution, bureaucratic delays, and the institution’s responsiveness to the needs of its smaller member countries.
Moreover, recent scrutiny from global rating agencies and stakeholders has highlighted the need for internal reforms to boost efficiency, transparency, and impact measurement.
What to Expect from Tah’s Leadership
Sidi Ould Tah’s arrival may signal a recalibration—an emphasis on fiscal prudence, private sector engagement, and regional balance. With his roots in BADEA, an institution focused squarely on African development from an Arab-African partnership lens, Tah is expected to deepen South-South cooperation and strengthen ties with Gulf investors and emerging market players.
Observers also expect him to take bold steps in mobilizing new forms of capital, including blended finance, diaspora bonds, and climate-smart investments. His prior experience in launching large-scale callable capital programs points to a leader ready to innovate around African solutions for African challenges.
Tah is also likely to champion inclusivity and regional integration. Given Mauritania’s unique location at the intersection of North and sub-Saharan Africa, his presidency could help bridge historic divides and build consensus on cross-border initiatives, from infrastructure corridors to digital transformation.
But perhaps his most daunting task will be reinforcing trust—in the AfDB’s governance, its ability to deliver, and its mission to be Africa’s development partner of choice.
A Continent Watches
Sidi Ould Tah’s mandate arrives at a moment of both peril and promise for Africa. With a young, growing population and immense natural and human resources, the continent remains a frontier of global opportunity. But that potential is increasingly threatened by fragility, climate shocks, and a global financing system that often fails to work in Africa’s favor.
As Tah prepares to lead the African Development Bank into its next chapter, his leadership will be judged not only by the projects he funds but also by the confidence he inspires in Africa’s capacity to chart its own path.
He has promised to listen, reform, and act. Now, Africa—and the world—is watching.
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