Dr. Sidi Ould Tah Succeeds Akinwumi Adesina as AfDB 9th President

Dr. Sidi Ould Tah has taken over the reins of the AfDB as the 9th President, succeeding Akinwumi Adesina.

Dr. Sidi Ould is an accomplished banker and economist who hails from Mauritania.

“It’s been my greatest honor to serve you and Africa”—Adesina told Heads of State and Government at the 38th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa.

Who is Dr. Sidi Ould Tah?

Born in 1964, the same year the Bank was founded, Dr. Sidi brings a legacy of unity and a spirit of acceleration to his new role. His powerful words, “Africa’s moment is now. Let’s not just manage development; we must accelerate it,” already signal his commitment to bold and inclusive growth.

Dr. Sidi Ould Tah is a distinguished economist, seasoned statesman, and transformative development banker, whose career spans over four decades of high-impact leadership across African and international institutions.

From 2015 until April 15, 2025, Dr. Tah served as President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), where he led a landmark institutional transformation that firmly repositioned the Bank as a leading force in Africa’s development finance landscape.

Under his visionary leadership, BADEA attained prestigious AA+/AAA credit ratings, increased its total assets from $4 billion to nearly $7 billion, and established itself as a model of operational excellence and strategic foresight.

Dr. Tah’s tenure was defined by innovation and resilience. He crafted and executed the Bank’s first 10-year strategy, BADEA 2030, and articulated a bold long-term vision with BADEA 2074, aligning the institution with Africa’s Agenda 2063.

Amid Sudan’s political crisis, he orchestrated the seamless relocation of BADEA’s headquarters from Khartoum to Riyadh—an extraordinary feat of crisis management and institutional continuity. Project approvals more than quadrupled under his leadership, digital infrastructure was significantly modernized, and the Bank maintained one of the lowest non-performing loan ratios among African DFIs (0.4% in 2024).

A champion of sustainable and inclusive finance, Dr. Tah established BADEA’s Sustainable Financing Framework and secured multiple ISO certifications in ESG standards and quality management.

Also Read: List of Candidates Seeking to Succeed Dr. Adesina as AfDB President

He has played an active role in advancing Africa’s position in global climate finance discussions, including through regular participation in the COP summits.

Prior to BADEA, Dr. Tah served as Mauritania’s Minister of Economy and Finance, where he also acted as National Authorizing Officer for the European Development Fund and represented Mauritania on the Boards of Governors of the AfDB, IsDB, World Bank, and more than ten other development institutions.

His unique perspective—combining the policymaker’s insight with the financier’s strategic acumen—enabled him to pioneer context-sensitive solutions such as debt-for-equity swaps that strengthened African DFIs without increasing sovereign debt burdens.

Dr. Tah has also held board roles with leading regional institutions including Africa Export-Import Bank, Trade and Development Bank, Africa Finance Corporation, and the Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC). A respected voice in global economic forums, he is a frequent invitee to the World Bank Development Committee and other high-level platforms.

He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis in France, along with advanced degrees from Paris VII-Jussieu and the University of Nouakchott. He has completed executive education at Harvard University, the London Business School, and the Swiss Finance Institute. A polyglot, Dr. Tah is fluent in Arabic English and French, with working proficiency in Portuguese and Spanish.

In recognition of his contributions to economic development and regional integration, Dr. Tah has been decorated by several African states, including as Grand Officer in the National Orders of Burkina Faso and Niger, and Officer of the National Order of the Lion of Senegal.

515 million Lives Transformed Under Adesina

With its solid foundation and strong governance, the Bank is widely celebrated for its smooth leadership transitions, a tradition that began with its founding President, the Sudanese economist and diplomat Mamoun Beheiry.

Reflecting on his tenure at the helm of the African Development Bank, Dr. Adesina said the Bank has transformed 515 million lives, including 231 million women, over the past decade:

• 127 million people gained access to better services in terms of health.
• 61 million people gained access to clean water.
• 33 million people benefited from improved sanitation.
• 46 million people gained access to ICT services, and
• 25 million people gained access to electricity.

Under Adesina’s presidency, the Bank achieved its largest-ever capital increase, growing from $93 billion in 2015 to $318 billion currently. The most recent replenishment of the African Development Fund, the Bank Group’s concessional window, raised a record $8.9 billion for Africa’s 37 low-income countries, setting the stage for a target of $25 billion for its upcoming 17th replenishment.