Race to lead AfDB heats up as Adesina’s tenure nears end

As Akinwumi Adesina prepares to step down after a transformative decade as President of the African Development Bank (AfDB),five candidates from across the continent are competing to succeed him in an election set for 29 May in Abidjan,Côte d’Ivoire.

Five contenders — Swazi Tshabalala (South Africa),Amadou Hott (Senegal),Samuel Munzele Maimbo (Zambia),Sidi Ould Tah (Mauritania),and Abbas Mahamat Tolli (Chad) — bring extensive financial and policy experience. Each promises to steer the bank through turbulent financial waters as global funding tightens and Africa faces mounting development challenges. Tshabalala,the only female candidate and former AfDB vice president,emphasizes infrastructure and financial innovation. Senegal’s Hott calls for improved tax revenue and private capital mobilization. Maimbo of Zambia proposes data-driven continental integration,while Tah focuses on leveraging Africa’s demographics and building climate-resilient economies. Tolli advocates for fiscal discipline and overhauling AfDB’s operational model.

The new president must secure dual majorities from the Bank’s 54 African members and 27 non-African shareholders like the United States,Japan,and China. The U.S. plans to cut $555 million in AfDB funding loom as an early test of leadership. Speaking at a media briefing at the start of the AfDB Group’s 2025 Annual Meetings on Monday (26 May),Adesina has called on his yet-to-be-elected successor to embrace the responsibility of defending the continent’s interests on the global stage. Adesina,who expanded the bank’s capital from $93 billion to $318 billion,urged his successor to defend Africa’s interests boldly: “This is not a job. This is a mission.” The next leader inherits both immense opportunity and immense responsibility.