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The African Development Bank (AfDB) has officially elected Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania as its new president. The announcement was made during the bank’s annual meetings in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on Thursday.
  • Sidi Ould Tah is the newly elected president of AfDB.
  • He succeeds Nigeria’s Akinwumi Adesina, who served for a decade.
  • The election took place at AfDB’s 2025 Annual Meetings in Abidjan.
Tah’s emergence signals a leadership transition after a decade of Nigerian influence at the helm. Adesina’s tenure was marked by landmark initiatives in infrastructure, food security, and climate finance. Tah is expected to build on that momentum while bringing Mauritania’s development perspective into the continental bank’s agenda.

The focus now shifts to how Tah will steer the AfDB amid ongoing global economic challenges and Africa’s financing needs. His diplomatic and development track record will be under the spotlight.