Sidi Ould Tah Elected President of the African Development Bank

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has named Mauritanian economist Sidi Ould Tah as its new president-elect following three rounds of voting on Thursday afternoon in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, held during the bank’s annual meeting.

Tah, former head of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), defeated his closest rival, Zambia’s Samuel Maimbo – currently a World Bank vice-president – to succeed Akinwunmi Adesina, who will complete his second five-year term in September.

In a field of five candidates – four men and one woman – Tah secured 76 percent of the vote. Maimbo received 20 percent, while former Senegalese economy minister Amadou Hott captured 3.5 percent.

Tah will become the ninth president of the 60-year-old development finance institution. Nigeria remains the AfDB’s largest shareholder.

The bank plays a key role in funding major infrastructure projects across Africa through instruments such as the African Development Fund (ADF).

However, the bank faces financial pressures after the Trump administration announced plans to cut U.S. contributions by US$555 million to prioritize domestic spending. Adesina previously noted that the AfDB’s capital has grown to US$318 billion.

Tah has pledged to deepen collaboration with Gulf states to support infrastructure development and outlined a four-point agenda: strengthening regional financial institutions; promoting Africa’s financial independence in global markets; leveraging demographic trends for development; and building climate-resilient infrastructure.

Fluent in Wolof – a language spoken widely in West Africa – Arabic, English and French Tah brings a multilingual and multicultural perspective to the role.