The African Development Bank has formally begun the election process for its next president by revealing the candidates who will compete in the forthcoming election set for May 29, 2025.
The declaration came after a two-day gathering of the Steering Committee of the Board of Governors at the bank’s headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where a final list of candidates was confirmed.
According to a statement released on Friday via the AfDB website, five candidates have been cleared to run for the institution’s top position.
They include Mr. Hott Amadou from Senegal, Dr. Maimbo Samuel Munzele from Zambia, Mr. Tah Sidi Ould from Mauritania, Mr. Tolli Abbas Mahamat from Chad, and Ms. Tshabalala Bajabulile Swazi from South Africa.
“The Steering Committee of the Board of Governors on the Election of the President of the African Development Bank met on 11 and 12 February 2025 at the Bank Group’s headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire,” the statement read.
“The Steering Committee, after examining the candidatures, cleared the following list of candidates for the office of the President of the African Development Bank during the next election to be held on 29 May 2025
“Mr. HOTT Amadou, Senegal, Dr. MAIMBO Samuel Munzele, Zambia, Mr. TAH Sidi Ould, Mauritania, Mr. TOLLI Abbas Mahamat, Chad and Ms. TSHABALALA Bajabulile Swazi, South Africa.”
With each candidate bringing unique expertise and vision to the race, the election is expected to be highly competitive.
The winner will succeed Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, who has operated the bank since 2015, carried out important reforms and organized leadership thanks to complicated global economic challenges.
Meaning for the economic future of Africa, the results of the elections should shape the economic development of Africa, especially in areas such as infrastructure finance, the ability to recover. Climate and industrial growth.
As part of its broader agenda for regional cooperation, the AfDB has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening economic integration across Africa, particularly through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Speaking at a high-level ministerial roundtable in Casablanca, AfDB’s Director of Regional Integration, African integration is the key to its development, Dr. Joy Kategekwa said, underscoring the significance of economic cooperation.
She emphasised that by 2035, the AfCFTA might establish a single market and increase intra-African trade by 52%, which might spur industrialisation and the creation of jobs throughout the continent.
The roundtable, hosted by the African Leadership Organisation, convened African ministers, private sector leaders, and financial partners to discuss policy alignment, infrastructure investments, and trade expansion under the AfCFTA framework.
With the AfDB election drawing closer, stakeholders across Africa will be keenly watching the process, as the new leadership will play a crucial role in shaping the continent’s economic trajectory.
