Mauritanian diplomat Sidi Ould Tah elected ninth president of African Development Bank

Mauritanian diplomat Sidi Ould Tah has been elected as the ninth president of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) following a decisive three-round vote by the bank’s board of governors during the annual meeting in Abidjan.

Tah secured 76.1% of the vote, defeating Zambia’s Samuel Maimbo and Senegal’s Amadou Hott.

Sidi Tah’s election is seen as a testament to his diplomatic acumen, leveraging Mauritania’s networks and the backing of Saudi Arabia and the Arab League.

He will succeed Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, who served for ten years after formally taking office on September 1, 2025, for a renewable five-year term. The swift and consensual nature of Tah’s election was in stark contrast to the 2015 election of Adesina, which took six rounds of voting.

The African Development Bank has been a key partner in supporting infrastructure projects in Kenya. The bank’s two arms, the African Development Bank and the African Development Fund, have funded investments in energy, water and even agriculture.

"Since 1964, the bank has financed a total of 167 projects with a financial commitment of 7.8 billion dollars. But I am especially proud of what we have done over the last 10 years, since I was first elected president of the AfDB in 2015. Since then, the bank has financed a total of 57 projects with a total financial commitment of 4.4 billion US dollars," said Dr. Adesina.

President William Ruto recently announced that Kenya would significantly increase its investment in the AfDB and related institutions.

He pledged over 100 million dollars (Ksh.12 billion) over the next three years to boost the country’s shareholding in the AfDB, Afreximbank, and the Trade Development Bank. Kenya has also committed 20 million dollars to the African Development Fund.

"The second item that I am very proud of—your support and that of the African Development Bank—is our road infrastructure. You have said it yourself, that the dualing of Thika Superhighway, and for your information, now that road is all the way to Marua in Nyeri. The road has now been dualled from where you left it by the support of your organisation," said President Ruto.

Dr Adesina added, "The bank’s support for last-mile connectivity for electricity has helped to increase the population of Kenya connected to the national electricity grid from 41 per cent in 2014 to 76 per cent in 2024."

Sidi Tah’s extensive experience, including his leadership at the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, is expected to bring renewed momentum to the bank’s mission of fast-tracking economic growth across Africa.