The African Development Bank (AfDB) is preparing for the election of a new president. Five candidates are in the running.
The AfDB “presidential” election is shaping up to be strategic in a context marked by high expectations regarding the future role of the AfDB in economic development and the continent’s sovereignty.
The next president, who will be elected this Thursday, May 29, during the 2025 Annual Meetings of the Bank in Abidjan, will be responsible for steering the institution into a new phase—balancing political ambitions, climate emergencies, and the need for innovative financing.
Five high-profile personalities from various geographic and professional backgrounds across the continent are officially in the running:
They are Amadou Hott (Senegal), Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala (South Africa), Sidi Ould Tah (Mauritania), Samuel Munzele Maimbo (Zambia), and Abbas Mahamat Tolli (Chad).
A former Senegalese Minister of Economy, Planning and Cooperation, Amadou Hott is also a former AfDB Vice President in charge of Energy, Climate and Green Growth. He is banking on his expertise in structured finance, energy transition, and public-private partnerships to drive a new development dynamic focused on African economic sovereignty.
An experienced financier, he has also worked at the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and with major international institutions.
The only female candidate in this election, Swazi Bajabulile Tshabalala, is currently the First Vice President of the AfDB. With a long career in both public and private banking sectors, notably with South Africa's Standard Bank and the South African Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), she represents continuity in the Bank’s institutional reform and digital transformation.
Sidi Ould Tah has been Director General of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) since 2015. He has significant experience in South-South cooperation and concessional financing.
Zambian candidate Samuel Munzele Maimbo is a senior official at the World Bank and a specialist in financial systems and banking governance.
He has held several strategic positions in development policy and financial institution reform in Africa.
As for the Chadian candidate, Mahamat Abbas Tolli, he is the current Governor of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC).
A former Minister of Finance of Chad, Mahamat Abbas Tolli is a key player in monetary regulation and financial stability in Central Africa.
The vote is scheduled to take place during the AfDB’s annual meetings, which will continue until May 30. It will bring together governors representing the 81 regional and non-regional member countries of the AfDB.
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