Dr Sidi Ould Tah was this week elected as the President of the African Development Bank Group at the bank’s annual meeting held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Dr Tah, who hails from Mauritania, is an economist, statesman, and development banker. The president-elect’s career spans over four decades of high-impact leadership across African and international institutions.

From 2015 until April 15, 2025, Dr Tah served as President of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), where he led institutional transformation that firmly repositioned the Bank as a leading force in Africa’s development finance landscape. Under his visionary leadership, BADEA attained AA+/AAA credit ratings, increased its total assets from $4 billion to nearly $7 billion, and established itself as a model of operational excellence and strategic foresight.

Before joining BADEA, Dr Tah served as Mauritania’s Minister of Economy and Finance, where he also acted as the National Authorising Officer for the European Development Fund. Furthermore, he represented Mauritania on the Boards of Governors of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), World Bank, and more than 10 other development institutions. Dr Tah has also held board roles with leading regional institutions, including the Africa Export-Import Bank, Trade and Development Bank, Africa Finance Corporation, and the Central African States Development Bank (BDEAC). A respected voice in global economic forums, he is a frequent invitee to the World Bank Development Committee and other high-level platforms.

He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis in France, as well as advanced degrees from Paris VII-Jussieu and the University of Nouakchott. He has completed executive education at Harvard University, the London Business School, and the Swiss Finance Institute. A polyglot, Dr Tah is fluent in Arabic, English and French, with working proficiency in Portuguese and Spanish.

In recognition of his contributions to economic development and regional integration, Dr Tah has been decorated by several African States, including as Grand Officer in the National Orders of Burkina Faso and Niger, and Officer of the National Order of the Lion of Senegal.