Mauritanian candidate Sidi Ould Tah secured the African Development Bank presidency Thursday, defeating Zambian rival Samuel Munzele Maimbo in the third round of voting to succeed Nigeria’s Akinwumi Adesina at the helm of Africa’s premier financial institution.
The former president of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) won decisively with 76.18% of votes, while Maimbo garnered 20.26% and Senegal’s Amadou Hott received 3.55%. The election required only three rounds to determine a winner among five candidates vying for the prestigious position.
Ould Tah’s victory reflects his solid continental reputation and extensive experience in African development finance. His candidacy successfully mobilized support from African member countries, capitalizing on his track record at BADEA and his vision for the institution’s future direction.
“I would first like to thank Africa for this confidence. I thank you for this trust, and I fully understand the responsibility and duty that accompany it,” Ould Tah stated following his election, acknowledging the significant mandate entrusted to him by member nations.
The new president inherits an institution that has achieved remarkable growth under his predecessor’s decade-long leadership. During Adesina’s tenure, the bank’s subscribed capital tripled from $93 billion to $318 billion, dramatically expanding its capacity to finance continental development projects.
Recent AfDB initiatives include constructing Africa’s largest wastewater treatment plant in Gabal el Asfar, Egypt, building a strategic bridge connecting Senegal and Gambia, expanding Togo’s Lomé port, and implementing sanitation projects in Lesotho alongside electricity access programs in Kenya. These projects exemplify the bank’s crucial role in addressing Africa’s infrastructure gap and promoting sustainable development across the continent.