By Abiola Olawale
Sidi Ould Tah, a seasoned Mauritanian economist and former finance minister, has been elected as the ninth president of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group during the bank’s Annual General Meeting in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire om Thursday.
Tah was elected as AfDB’s President by the Bank’s Board of Governors after three rounds of voting.
He secured 76.18% to beat out Zambia’s Samuel Maimbo, who secured 20.26%, and Senegal’s Amadou Hott, who scored 3.55% of the total votes.
The results were announced by Niale Kaba, Minister of Planning and Development for Côte d’Ivoire, and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Bank Group.
Following the victory, Tah will assume office on September 1, 2025, succeeding Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina for a five-year term.
With over 35 years of experience in African and international finance, Tah brings a robust track record to the AfDB.
Previously, he served as Director General of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) and as Mauritania’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance from 2008 to 2015.
His leadership at BADEA included establishing a $1 billion callable capital program for African multilateral development banks.
