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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has congratulated President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani of Mauritania following the election of Dr Sidi Ould Tah as the ninth President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group.
Dr Tah, a former Mauritanian Finance Minister and Director General of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), was elected during the AfDB’s Annual Meetings held on Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
According to a statement by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu, in a telephone conversation from Lagos on Thursday, praised the transparent election process that led to Tah’s emergence as the new AfDB President.
Tah will succeed Dr Akinwumi Adesina of Nigeria, who will step down in September 2025 after completing two five-year terms.
President Tinubu expressed confidence that Tah’s extensive experience in finance and development would significantly benefit the AfDB. He reaffirmed Nigeria’s strong partnership with the Bank, noting that Nigeria is the largest shareholder among its 81 member countries, comprising 54 African nations and 27 non-African states.
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The Nigerian leader reiterated his commitment to working closely with Dr Tah to advance priorities such as infrastructure development, agricultural transformation, energy access, and climate resilience across Africa.
Demonstrating Nigeria’s dedication to the AfDB’s mission, the country approved a $500 million capital replenishment for the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF) in May 2025. Established in 1976, the NTF is a special AfDB fund fully financed by Nigeria to support development projects across the continent. This replenishment will extend the fund’s operations for another 15 years.
President Tinubu pledged Nigeria’s full support for Tah’s vision, which focuses on strengthening regional financial institutions, promoting Africa’s economic independence, leveraging population growth for development, and building climate-resilient infrastructure.
He also expressed gratitude to outgoing AfDB President Dr Adesina for his leadership and wished him success in his future endeavours.
