President Bola Tinubu has congratulated President Mohamed Ghazouani and the people of Mauritania on the election of Sidi Ould Tah as the ninth president of the African Development Bank (AfDB).
Tah was elected on Thursday at the annual meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group, which took place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Before his election, he was a former finance minister in Mauritania and director-general of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA).
After the election, the presidency said Tinubu commended the clean process that producedTah on a telephone conversation from Lagos with the Mauritanian leader.
“Tah will succeed Dr Akinwumi Adesina of Nigeria, who will step down in September after completing two five-year terms,” the statement reads.
“President Tinubu believed that Dr Tah would bring a wealth of experience to the role, given his track record in former positions.
“President Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s strong partnership with the AfDB, emphasising its status as the institution’s largest shareholder among its member countries, comprising 54 African nations and 27 non-African states.
“The President restated his commitment to working closely with the incoming AfDB president to advance shared priorities, including infrastructure development, agricultural transformation, energy access, and climate resilience.”
The presidency said that Nigeria recently approved a $500 million capital replenishment for the Nigeria trust fund (NTF) in May 2025, extending the fund’s operations by another 15 years.
“Established in 1976, the NTF is a special AfDB fund fully financed by Nigeria to support development projects across Africa,” the statement said.
“This renewed commitment underscores Nigeria’s continued dedication to the Bank’s mission of driving inclusive growth and poverty reduction on the continent.”
Tinubu commended the outgoing AfDB president, Akinwumi Adesina, and wished him success in his future endeavours.
