Dr Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania has officially assumed office as the ninth President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), succeeding Nigeria’s Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina after a decade of success at the helm.
The 60-year-old economist was elected on 29 May 2025 with an unprecedented 76 per cent of shareholder votes, the highest margin ever secured by a first-term president in the Bank’s history. His swearing-in ceremony, held in Abidjan, was attended by Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, and former AfDB presidents Dr Adesina and Dr Donald Kaberuka. The event was presided over by the Republic of Congo’s Minister of Economy, Ludovic Ngatse, in his capacity as Chair of the Board of Governors.
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President Ouattara described the leadership transition as “a milestone” ushering in “a new era of hope for the Bank,” while President Ghazouani voiced confidence in Dr Ould Tah’s ability to strengthen the AfDB’s role in driving Africa’s development agenda.
In his inaugural address, Dr Ould Tah outlined his vision, anchored on what he termed his “Four Cardinal Points”: listening intently, launching a fast-track reform agenda, deepening partnerships, and accelerating practical solutions. “The Bank will be attentive, responsive, and capable of setting priorities that matter,” he said, pledging to strengthen collaboration with governments, the private sector and international partners, while expanding to new actors such as sovereign and pension funds.
He also stressed the need to “urgently revisit our investment models to include a dedicated pillar for investment in peace,” emphasising that the Bank must focus on areas where it can deliver the greatest impact rather than “trying to be everything to everyone.”
Fluent in Arabic, English and French, with working knowledge of Portuguese and Spanish, Dr Ould Tah brings more than four decades of experience in development finance and economic policy. He previously served as President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), where he oversaw a major transformation that saw the institution’s assets rise from $4 billion to nearly $7 billion, alongside upgraded credit ratings of AA+/AAA.
He also served as Mauritania’s Minister of Economy and Finance between 2008 and 2015, and represented his country on the boards of the AfDB, World Bank and Islamic Development Bank.
With Dr Adesina leaving behind a strong capital base of $318 billion and a decade-long AAA credit rating, Dr Ould Tah assumes office at a pivotal moment. He urged the Bank to help Africa “navigate the megatrends of demographics, technology and climate change” with solutions shaped by “African perspectives, African priorities, and African agency.”
“Like a navigator guided by the compass, the Bank should help Africa move towards self-reliance, ambition and agency,” he added, promising to hold a staff town hall in the coming days to align the institution’s workforce with his reform agenda.
Dr Ould Tah’s election underscores shareholders’ confidence in his ability to consolidate the AfDB’s role as a leading driver of development finance, regional integration and climate resilience across Africa.
