What Sidi Ould Tah seeks to achieve as AfDB’s new president

• Mauritania’s Sidi Ould Tah will take over from Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina on September 1, 2025, stepping into a position laden with immense responsibility—and expectation.
• With traditional donor fatigue setting in—highlighted by U.S. funding cuts about $555M—Tah faces a tighter aid environment.
• Tah strategy seeks to deepen Africa’s ties with oil-rich Gulf countries in infrastructure financing, while tapping into the continent’s capital markets.

When Mauritania’s seasoned economist Sidi Ould Tah emerged victorious in the tightly contested race for the presidency of the African Development Bank (AfDB), the continent, already edgy due to dwindling aid cuts, and Trump tariffs edged closer to a new financing chapter under a new captain.

Securing a commanding 76 per cent of the vote after three rounds, Dr. Tah will take over from Nigeria’s Dr. Akinwumi Adesina on September 1, 2025, stepping into a position laden with immense responsibility—and expectation.

But beyond the celebratory moment in Abidjan, and Nouakchott, the capital city of his native country Mauritania, lies the real work. And Tah knows it. “Let’s go to work now. I’m ready!” he told the Bank’s governors and media following his election—a simple but potent declaration of intent amid turbulent global financial winds.

Sidi Ould Tah: A Leader for Changing Times

As the AfDB prepares to mark over 60 years of operation, the institution finds itself at a crossroads. Africa, resilient yet challenged by climate change, geopolitical realignments, economic volatility, and surging debt burdens, needs more than capital—it needs vision.

Previously the Director General of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), Tah is no stranger to development finance, a key ingredient in unlocking the continent’s progress. His track record includes quadrupling BADEA’s balance sheet and driving partnerships that extended the bank’s reach across the continent. Now, as the AfDB President, he intends to replicate—and even scale—that success.

Mobilizing Resources

A few weeks to his election, Tah oulined his vision, one where he seeks to make every dollar count. “Mobilizing financial resources will be my top priority,” he has said. With traditional donor fatigue setting in—highlighted starkly by proposed U.S. funding cuts amounting to $555 million—Tah faces a tighter aid environment. Yet, rather than retreat, he sees this as a prompt for reinvention.

His strategy involves deepening collaborations with oil-rich Gulf countries, especially in infrastructure financing, while tapping into Africa’s burgeoning domestic capital markets. The idea is simple but profound: make Africa’s capital work better for Africa.

Reforming Africa’s Financial Architecture

A second pillar of Tah’s presidency as outlined in his vision will be reshaping the financial frameworks underpinning African development. He envisions a more harmonized network of African financial institutions, working in synergy rather than in silos.

This includes better coordination between AfDB, regional development banks, and national funds to reduce duplication, improve delivery, and scale impact. Tah also advocates for stronger African agency in global financial dialogues—from debt restructuring to climate finance negotiations—where the continent often finds itself reacting rather than shaping outcomes.

For a bank whose shareholders include not just 54 African countries but also heavyweights like the U.S., Japan, and the European Union, Tah’s balancing act between African ownership and global partnership will be key.

Youth as an Economic Engine

Africa’s greatest asset, Tah believes, is its people—specifically its youth. By 2050, the continent will be home to nearly 40 per cent of the world’s young people. But without jobs, education, and opportunity, this demographic dividend could become a liability.

He proposes targeted investments in vocational training, tech startups, and agriculture-led industrialization—sectors where youth can not only find work but build wealth. The former Mauritania minister of Finance and Economy stated, “Africa’s youth are not a problem to be solved—they are a solution waiting to be activated.”

Infrastructure: The Spine of Development

No vision for Africa’s development is complete without addressing infrastructure—or the lack of it. Despite the promise of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), cross-border trade remains sluggish, hindered by poor roads, fragmented rail networks, and limited electrification.

“To move a container from Mombasa to Dakar, the only viable option is by sea,” Tah laments. He wants that to change. In the years ahead, policymakers can expect a Tah-led AfDB keen on prioritizing transcontinental road and rail corridors, inland waterways, and cross-border energy grids. Electrification, in particular, is critical. Without power, Africa cannot industrialize. Without industry, it cannot compete.

Green Growth

In a world racing toward net-zero, Africa often finds itself sidelined in the green transition—ironically, despite contributing the least to global emissions. For Tah, this opportunity is a paradox.

Under his leadership, the AfDB will advocate for an “energy mix” approach that leverages renewables such as solar and wind, alongside transitional fuels such as natural gas. His goal is to power inclusive industrialization without sacrificing sustainability. He wants global partners to recognize Africa’s right to develop using all tools available—just as today’s wealthy nations once did.

Perhaps most poignantly, Tah says that he understands that development cannot thrive in the shadow of conflict. With over a dozen African nations currently grappling with insecurity, fragile states need more than financial aid—they need long-term, stabilizing investment. “Security and development are inseparable,” he asserted.

Tah plans to champion programs that integrate peace-building with economic revitalization—from community infrastructure projects to youth employment schemes in post-conflict zones. In essence, AfDB under Tah will become both a lender and a partner in peace.

The Legacy He Inherits

Tah takes over a bank that has grown significantly under Dr. Adesina’s leadership, reaching a capital base of $318 billion. Dr. Adesina’s tenure was marked by the launch of the “High 5s” strategy—Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.

These goals remain as relevant as ever—but the pathway to achieving them has grown more complex. From declining concessional funding to mounting climate risks, Tah must retool the Bank’s operations for speed, scale, and resilience.

With the next replenishment of the African Development Fund (ADF) due in November 2025, and the 2025 Annual Meetings themed around “Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Africa’s Development,” the message is clear: Tah must hit the ground running.

A Continent on the Clock

Africa is not short of plans or partners—it is short on time. The African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are ambitious blueprints, but without execution, they remain paper dreams.

Sidi Ould Tah knows this. And if his words and past performance are anything to go by, he’s not just ready to work—he’s ready to lead. As the sun rises on his presidency, the continent—and the world—will be watching.

Read also: As US tariffs sting, AfDB’s Adesina calls for bold realignment of African trade