Sidi Ould Tah has been sworn in as the ninth President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), pledging to focus on institutional reform and building strategic partnerships to deliver tangible results across the continent. Ould Tah, a 60-year-old economist from Mauritania, was elected with the largest-ever majority for a first-term AfDB president. He succeeds Akinwumi Adesina, who completed two terms.
In his inaugural address, Ould Tah outlined a four-point plan for his first 100 days, emphasizing the need for internal reform, operational responsiveness, and accelerating development outcomes. He stated that the bank would “bridge divides, between regions, between ambitions and execution, between public and private, between urgency and bureaucracy.”
A New Vision for Africa’s Development
Ould Tah’s vision includes a commitment to work more closely with African governments, the private sector, and international partners to create a “financial framework that serves Africa on its own terms.” He also proposed a new investment model that includes a dedicated “pillar for investment in peace,” arguing that peace must be treated as a key development issue, especially given the growing security threats across the continent.
He also intends to expand the bank’s network of partners to include sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, and other regional institutions.
Acknowledging the bank’s staff as its most valuable asset, Ould Tah announced that he would hold a town hall meeting soon to engage directly with employees. He urged Africa to chart its own course for development, drawing wisdom from around the world to increase “self-reliance, ambition, and agency.”
The new president takes the helm of an institution with a $318 billion capital base and a decade-long record of AAA credit ratings. Prior to this role, Ould Tah led a major transformation at the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), where he grew its assets from $4 billion to nearly $7 billion.
