Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire – E don happen! Sidi Ould Tah don collect new title as President of African Development Bank (AfDB) Group. Dem announce am for di bank’s Annual Meetings for Abidjan last week. Na wah o, this guy go take over from Akinwumi Adesina wey don hold di position since 2015.
Tah wey be economist from Mauritania, win di election as di ninth president of AfDB after three rounds of voting. He collect plenty votes from di Board of Governors, wey get finance and economy ministers from all di 81 member countries. E no easy o, but Tah manage get 76.18% of di total votes. Na so di tori be!
Before dis oga (Tah), e don dey waka for plenty high-level positions, including as president of di Arab Bank for Economic Development for Africa (BADEA), where he turn di bank balance from small to quadruple! No be small achievement sha, e even carry AAA credit rating come home. Talk about turning tings around, abi?
Tah go start im five-year term officially on September 1, 2025, after Akinwumi Adesina finish im second term. Dis election come at correct time as AfDB dey face plenty wahala like climate change and debt stress. Dem dey talk say Tah leadership go dey crucial to help di institution navigate through dis wahala.
Bismark Rewane, wey be chief of Lagos-based Financial Derivatives Co, don talk say di AfDB role dey more crucial before. “African countries need to dey innovative,” he talk. E don dey clear dat dis bank go need all di creativity wey dem fit manage to survive for these tough times.
Other candidates wey contest with Tah include Hott Amadou from Senegal, Maimbo Munzele from Zambia, Tolli Mahamat from Chad, and Swazi Tshabalala from South Africa. But dem no fit match di fire wey Tah carry come di table. As we dey gree say di election don finish, di next step na to see wetin dis new oga go do.
Sidi Ould Tah go lead as AfDB dey push to meet di African Union Agenda 2063 and di UN Sustainable Development Goals too. Na wetin we all dey watch now, because Africa need better infrastructure and economic development like never before. Who no wan see their country grow?
Make we just dey hopeful say Tah go bring new gist come AfDB and help di continent face di challenges ahead. Abidjan don set di pace, na just to see how e go play out for di next five years. Make we keep our ears open for more gist!
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