Mauritania’s Dr Sidi Ould Tah, elected the 9th president of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group on 29th May 2025, is an economist with an impressive track record and experience in international finance and banking.
However, his coming coincides with a period of a fragmented and conflict-prone world, with Africa facing tough socioeconomic and environmental challenges.
Some of the problems are not new, but according to Report on Africa 2024 by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the challenges “are unprecedented in scale, complexity, and inter-connectedness, and they impede Africa’s attaining the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.”
“These global challenges render business-as-usual strategies unsustainable. A new approach is required to accelerate wealth creation, reduce inequality, and achieve more equitable and sustainable development,” the Report warned.
Even with the 2021 inauguration of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), championed by the AFREXIMBANK, which is expected to facilitate the integration of all countries on the continent, many of the challenges persist, including poor infrastructure, transportation, logistics and border controls, which hinder movement and trade.
The UNECA Report showed that Africa’s share of global trade remained sluggish at 3%, indicating that not much has changed over the past decade.
Perversely, intra-African trade as a share of global trade declined from 14.5% in 2021 to 13.7% in 2022, and over the same period, intra-African exports dropped from 18.22% to 17.89%, while intra-African imports dipped from 12.81% to 12.09%
These distressing statistics suggest that the quality of life of people in Africa could not have improved since the inauguration of High-5s at the AfDB a decade ago.
Critics, quoting the World Bank Report 2025, argue that last year, while sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 16% of the world’s population, 67% of its people were living in extreme poverty.
The Report showed that the number of people in sub-Saharan Africa living below the international poverty line of USD$ 2.15 per person per day increased from 413 million in 2015 to 464 million in 2025.
Tah, who holds a Ph.D., Master’s and B.A. degrees in Economics, an excellent command of Arabic, French, and English, and a working knowledge of Portuguese and Spanish, has his job cut out for him.
At 61, he is the same age as the AfDB, which was set up in 1964.
The Mauritanian economist boasts almost four decades of experience in African and international finance, including as the president of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) since 2015. He led the bank to quadruple its balance sheet, securing a AAA rating, and positioning it among the top-rated development banks focused on Africa.
Tah defeated four other candidates to clinch the coveted AfDB top position – Amadou Hott (Senegal), Samuel Maimbo (Zambia), Mahamat Abbas Tolli (Chad) and Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala (South Africa).
He will assume duties in September for five years, succeeding Nigeria’s Dr Akinwumi Adesina, who would have completed his two terms of five years each.
At the Bank’s Annual Meetings held in its Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire headquarters, Niale Kaba, Chairman of the Board of Governors and Ivorian Minister of Planning and Development, announced Tah as the winning candidate with more than 50.01% of both the regional and non-regional votes, as required by the Bank’s statute.
According to his profile, the former Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance of Mauritania had served in various senior positions in multilateral institutions and “led crisis response, financial reform, and innovative resource mobilization for Africa, including the establishment of BADEA’s USD$1 billion callable capital programme for African Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs).”
His election is at a crucial stage of the AfDB Group’s six-decade history.
While Africa has remained resilient despite climate shocks, economic disruption, and a shifting geopolitical landscape, financial and economic experts have warned that the Bank Group’s High-5s would require drastic restructuring for the continent to stand any chance of achieving the African Union’s Agenda 2063 targets and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The new AfDB head started his career as an expert at the Mauritanian Bank for Development and Commerce (BMDC) (1984-1986); served as a financial analyst at the Food Security Commission (1986), and as Administration and Finance Manager of the Municipality of “Nouakchott” (1987).
From 1988-1996, he was an Advisor to the Director General and Director of the Internal Auditing Department in the “Nouakchott” Port Authority and also worked as a Financial Analyst at the Khartoum-based Arab Authority for Agriculture, Investment and Development (AAAID) (1996-1999).
Tah held the position of advisor to the Mauritanian President and the Prime Minister (2006-2008), before being appointed Minister of Economy and Finance and later Minister of Economic Affairs and Development, before taking up the BADEA top job in 2015.
Following Sudan’s political crisis, Tah supervised the seamless relocation of BADEA’s headquarters from Khartoum to Riyadh, as part of a crisis management measure to ensure institutional continuity.
He also represented his country on the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) Board of Governors and other Regional and International Development Finance Institutions such as the World Bank’s International Financial Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). AfDB and the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF).
A recipient of the Grand Officer in the National Orders of Burkina Faso and Niger, and Officer of the National Order of the Lion of Senegal, Tah ran for the AfDB presidency on four Cardinal points, to:
*-Consolidate the Bank’s Financial Capacity*
“Under my leadership as president of the African Development Bank Group, the AfDB will not limit ambition to its available capital. I will utilise callable capital, attract private co-financing, and enhance our impact using structured instruments that align with Africa’s needs”
*-Deliver Results at Scale*
“In development, scale is not just an aspiration; it is a test. I will transform AfDB from fragmented pilot projects to flagship interventions that have a multi-country reach, a real implementation framework, and measurable results.”
*- Strengthen Institutional Credibility*
“Institutions succeed or fail based on the confidence they command. Under my leadership, the AfDB will restore this confidence through clear fiduciary standards, skilled staff, and predictable governance,” and,
* – Deepen Partnerships and Global Relevance*
“The next AfDB President must speak to investors in Riyadh, Beijing, and Nairobi with equal fluency. I bring a partnership model built not on aid but aligned capital and shared purpose.”
Beyond rhetoric and election campaign slogans, the international economic and financial volatility, compounded by the global North’s external aid cuts and tariff wars vis-à-vis Africa’s weak bargaining position, will test the elasticity of the experience and financial management skills of the AfDB’s new head.
The AfDB Group comprises three entities: the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund and the Nigeria Trust Fund. Its shareholders are 54 African countries or regional members, and 27 non-African countries or non-regional members.
The Bank’s past presidents since its inception in 1964 are:
Mamoun Beheiry (Sudan), 1964-1970
Abdelwahab Labidi (Tunisia), 1970-1976
Kwame Donkor Fordwor (Ghana), 1976-1980
Willa Mung’Omba (Zambia), 1980-1985
Babacar N’diaye (Senegal), 1985-1995
Omar Kabbaj (Morocco), 1995-2005
Donald Kaberuka (Rwanda), 2005-2015, and,
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina (Nigeria), 2015-2025.
The 2025 Annual Meetings were themed: “Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development.”
*Paul Ejime is a Media/Communications Specialist and Global Affairs Analyst*
