*Succeeds Nigerian Akinwunmi Adesina
Abubakar Hashim
As this magazine rightly predicted with accuracy on April 24, 2025, in an article, “Who Succeeds Adesina: Sidi tops the list,” Sidi Ould Tah, former Finance Minister of Mauritania, past DG, BADEA, emerged the new President of African Development Bank AfDB, today, May 29, 2025, at the bank’s headquarters in Abidjan.
Dr Tah secured a 3rd round victory with 76.18% of total votes, defeating Zambia’s Samuel Maimbo with 20.26% and Senegal’s Ahmadu Hott, with 3.5%, in a fiercely contested and extremely tight race, that went into a 3rd round.
Dr Tah succeeds Adesina, whose term ends in September 2025.
Dr Adesina has done extremely well in beefing up the bank’s profile and profitability, from about 9 billion USD to about 300 billion USD.
Adesina has impacted lives and livelihoods in Africa, winning awards in different African countries in his 10 year stewardship.
The main challenge for the new AfDB President Tah, is the recent Trump”s policy to the bank in shareholder quoted reduction and subsequent pull out.
The US is the largest shareholder with 15.9% stakes in the bank, followed by Japan and China. Nigeria is the largest African shareholder with about 9% stakes.
AfDB has huge investments in all African countries, particularly in agriculture, health, education, roads and other infrastructural activities.
*Abubakar Hashim is TheNEWS’ West Africa Bureau Chief, based in Sierra Leone