Meet Sidi Ould Tah, AfDB President Elect Set to Succeed Akinwumi Adesina

• Akinwumi Adesina will step down as president of AfDB after ten years, leaving a legacy focused on lighting up, feeding, industrialising, integrating Africa, and improving quality of life
• He will be succeeded by Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania, who brings over 35 years of experience in African and international finance and will start his five-year term on 1 September 2025
• The AfDB Group consists of the Nigeria Trust Fund, the African Development Bank, and the African Development Fund, with 54 African and regional members and 27 non-African members

Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has 5-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.

Nigeria's pride, Akinwumi Adesina, will step down after ten years of making an impact as president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), leaving a legacy encapsulated in his five priorities: to light up, feed, industrialise, integrate, and improve quality of life.

Sidi Ould Tah of Mauritania will take over following Adesina, the former Nigerian Minister of Agriculture.

Here are some quick facts about the AfDB president-elect:

• Tah is Mauritania’s former Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance.
• Tah has over 35 years of experience in African and international finance.
• Tah served as president of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) for 10 years from 2015.
• Tah secured an overwhelming 76.18 per cent of votes, defeating other candidates including Amadou Hott (Senegal), Samuel Maimbo (Zambia), Mahamat Tolli (Chad), and Bajabulile Tshabalala (South Africa).
• Tah will assume office on 1 September 2025 for a five-year term, following the end of the second mandate of the current president Adesina.

AfDB’s past heads since its inception in 1964 are:

• Mamoun Beheiry (Sudan), 1964–1970
• Abdelwahab Labidi (Tunisia), 1970–1976
• Kwame Donkor Fordwor (Ghana), 1976–1980
• Willa Mung’Omba (Zambia), 1980–1985
• Babacar N’Diaye (Senegal), 1985–1995
• Omar Kabbaj (Morocco), 1995–2005
• Donald Kaberuka (Rwanda), 2005–2015
• Dr Akinwumi Adesina (Nigeria), 2015–2025.

Channels reported that the Nigeria Trust Fund, the African Development Bank, and the African Development Fund are the three organisations that make up the AfDB Group. Among its shareholders are 54 African or regional member countries and 27 non-African or non-regional member countries.

Akinwumi Adesina as AfDB president

Legit.ng reported that the African Development Bank's (AfDB) 2025 economic outlook sees a possible reduction in export earnings predicted to force a decline in several African currencies this year, including the naira in Nigeria and the cedi in Ghana.

According to the Abidjan-based lender, if financial markets become unstable due to global uncertainties, 21 of the 54 African countries are expected to witness a decline in their currencies in 2025, while 25 may see modest gains.

However, the African-focused lender noted that some nations, such as Kenya, Morocco, and those in the CFA franc zone, may see currency appreciation of more than 3% against the US dollar.

Source: Legit.ng