Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania has emerged as the new President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), securing a sweeping 76.18% of the vote in the final round of a fiercely contested election.
Tah, a seasoned economist and former chief of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), will officially assume office as the 9th president of the AfDB on September 1, 2025, replacing Nigeria’s Akinwunmi Adesina, whose two-term tenure concludes this year.
The high-stakes election spanned several rounds before Tah clinched victory with a dominant margin over his closest rivals. Zambia’s Samuel Maimbo came in second with 20.26%, while Senegal’s Amadou Hott trailed behind with 3.55% of the final vote.
Earlier in the race, Chad’s Mahamat Abbas Tolli was the first to be eliminated after securing a mere 0.88%, followed by Swazi Tshabalala of South Africa with 5.9%.
Tah’s path to victory was significantly bolstered by a last-minute endorsement from Nigeria, which withdrew its backing for Hott and shifted its support after the Senegalese candidate failed to clinch a key vote from Côte d’Ivoire, the bank’s host nation.
