AfDB: Mauritanian Sidi Ould Tah Elected New President

At the end of a conclave featuring the “grand oral” on Wednesday, May 28, 2025—during which candidates presented their visions, defended their programs, and engaged in open exchanges with the 81 AfDB governors, composed mainly of finance ministers from member countries—Mauritanian Sidi Ould Tah was elected as the new president of this pan-African financial institution, securing 76.18% of the vote.

He succeeds outgoing president Akinwumi Adesina of Nigeria, who held the position for the past ten years. The new AfDB president is the former Director General of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa. From 2008 to 2015, Sidi Ould Tah served as Mauritania’s Minister of Economy and Finance. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis and has also served as a senior official at the Central Bank of Mauritania.

His strengths lie in his extensive experience within financial institutions, his strong networks in Gulf countries, and his fluency in three languages—French, English, and Arabic.

The Electoral Process

The election process for the AfDB presidency began in July 2024 with the call for candidates. Since then, a highly competitive campaign unfolded, featuring candidates Amadou Hott (Senegal), Samuel Maimbo (Zambia), Sidi Ould Tah (Mauritania), Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala (South Africa), and Abbas Mahamat Tolli (Chad).

The Double Majority Vote

To be elected, candidates had to win votes from two electoral colleges. The first consisted of 54 African member countries (regional members), while the second included 27 non-African but AfDB shareholder countries. Among the most influential of these are the United States (6.06%), Japan (5.41%), Germany (4.12%), Canada (3.85%), and France (3.5%).

To secure the presidency, a candidate had to obtain at least 51% of the vote in each collegea system known as the double majority vote.