Adesina Bows as President of AFDB, Sidi Ould Tah from Mauritania took over

When Dr. Akinwumi Adesina from Nigeria bowed as president of the African Development Bank group (AFDB), the President of the Tinubu Bola had congratulated Sidi Ould Tah from Mauritania for his election as the new president of the Development Bank.

Tah was elected as President of the Ninth Bank on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at the annual meeting of the AFDB group, which was held in Abidjan, Gading Coast.

Before his election, Tah was a former Minister of Finance in Mauritania and Director General of Bank Arab for economic development in Africa (Badea).

Tinubu, in a statement by Bayo Onanuga, a special advisor to the President of Information & Strategy on Friday, May 30, 2025 entitled President Tinubu congratulated President Mauritan in the election of Sidi Ould Tah when the AFDB President praised the transparent process that caused the emergence of the telephone conversation from Lago with Mauritan.

“Tah will succeed Dr. Akinwumi Adesina from Nigeria, who will resign in September after completing two periods of five years,” the statement reads.

“President Tinubu believes that Dr. Tah will bring a lot of experience to that role, given his track record in the previous position.

“President Tinubu reiterated the strong partnership of Nigeria with AFDB, emphasizing his status as the largest shareholder of the institution among its member countries, consisting of 54 African countries and 27 non-African states.

“The President expressed his commitment to cooperate with the AFDB President who entered to advance joint priorities, including the development of infrastructure, agricultural transformation, energy access, and climate resilience.”

The Presidential revealed that the new Nigeria approved the capital filling of $ 500 million for the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF) in May 2025, expanding funds with 15 years.

“Founded in 1976, NTF is a special AFDB fund that is fully financed by Nigeria to support development projects throughout Africa,” the statement said.

“This new commitment underlined Nigeria’s sustainable dedication for bank missions to encourage inclusive growth and poverty reduction in the continent.”

The president said that Tinubu also promised Nigeria’s “full support” to implement his vision to the institution, including strengthening regional financial institutions, promoting African economic independence, increasing population growth for development, and building climate resistant infrastructure.

Tinubu also appreciated Akinwumi Adesina, the AFDB president who came out, and hoped he was successful in his future efforts.

By Babajide Okeowo