Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania has been elected the new President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), succeeding Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, whose decade-long leadership ends this year.
The announcement was made during the Bank’s Annual Meetings held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Following three rounds of voting and internal consultations, Tah emerged as the consensus choice to lead the institution.
Tah, a former Mauritanian Minister of Economic Affairs and Development, secured the necessary votes in a competitive election process requiring at least 50.01% of both regional and non-regional member votes.
The results were officially declared by Niale Kaba, Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Planning and Development and Chairman of the AfDB Board of Governors.
Tah’s victory follows a thorough selection process overseen by the Board of Governors Steering Committee, which received and approved five official candidates by the closing date of 31 January 2025.
The full list of candidates, announced on 21 February 2025, included Amadou Hott (Senegal), Samuel Maimbo (Zambia), Mahamat Abbas Tolli (Chad), Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala (South Africa) and Sidi Ould Tah (Mauritania)
He will formally assume office on September 1, 2025 for a five-year term, immediately following the conclusion of Dr. Adesina’s second and final tenure.
(vitalnewsngr.com)
