Mauritania’s Sidi Ould Tah assumes duty Sept 1, succeeds Adesina as AfDB president

A former Minister in Mauritania, Sidi Ould Tah, will assume office on 1 September 2025, for a five-year term, following the end of the second tenure of Nigerian Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, AfDB.

Dr. Adesina has been After a decade of impact as the president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), bows out after a two-term of five years each.

He is leaving a trail of legacies captured in his five priorities to light up, feed, industrialise, integrate, and improve quality of life.

Sidi Ould Tah succeeds Dr. Adesina, who was earlier Nigeria’s former Agriculture Minister.

Facts about Sidi Ould Tah, the AfDB president-elect:

1. Tah is Mauritania’s former Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance.

2. Tah has over 35 years of experience in African and international finance.

3. Tah served as president of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) for 10 years from 2015.

4. Tah secured an overwhelming 76.18 percent of votes to trounce other candidates in the election including Amadou Hott (Senegal), Samuel Maimbo (Zambia), Mahamat Tolli (Chad) and Bajabulile Tshabalala (South Africa).

5. Tah will assume office on 1 September 2025, for a five-year term, following the end of the second mandate of current president Adesina.

Past AfDB’s heads from its inception in 1964:

1. Mamoun Beheiry (Sudan), 1964-1970

2. Abdelwahab Labidi (Tunisia), 1970-1976

3. Kwame Donkor Fordwor (Ghana), 1976-1980

4. Willa Mung’Omba (Zambia), 1980-1985

5. Babacar N’diaye (Senegal), 1985-1995

6. Omar Kabbaj (Morocco), 1995-2005

7. Donald Kaberuka (Rwanda), 2005-2015

8. Dr. Akinwumi Adesina (Nigeria), 2015-2025.

The AfDB Group comprises three entities: the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund, and the Nigeria Trust Fund. Its shareholder countries include 54 African countries or regional member countries, and 27 non-African countries or non-regional member countries.