On the occasion of the outstanding election of His Excellency Mr. Sidi Ould TAH as President of the African Development Bank Group, CAFRAD extends its warm congratulations and respectful greetings. A former Mauritanian minister, Mr. TAH was elected on Thursday, May 29 in Abidjan, the capital of Côte d’Ivoire, defeating five other candidates.

The vote resulted in a sweeping victory for Mr. TAH, who secured 76.18% of the votes compared to 20.26% for his main rival, Zambian candidate Samuel Munzele Maimbo, according to official results.

Following his election, Mr. TAH expressed deep gratitude to Africa for the confidence placed in him, affirming his full awareness of the responsibility and duty this entails.

His election was supported by a broad coalition, notably through the backing of several influential countries. As voting power is weighted according to each state’s share in the Bank’s capital, the five largest African contributors—Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, South Africa, and Morocco—were particularly influential, along with major non-African partners such as the United States and Japan.

Morocco and the African Development Bank (AfDB) have built a successful model of intra-African cooperation, particularly in the sectors of energy, infrastructure, and mobility. The Minister of Economy and Finance, Ms. Nadia Fettah, highlighted major projects such as the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline and the Royal Initiative to provide Sahel countries with access to the Atlantic Ocean—symbols of regional integration.

As a reminder, on March 12, 2025, a strategic meeting was held in Rabat between CAFRAD Director General, Dr. Coffi Dieudonné ASSOUVI, and the African Development Bank’s Country Manager for Morocco, His Excellency Mr. Achraf TARSIM, accompanied by Mr. Richard Antonin DOFFONSOU, Chief Country Economist for Morocco and Libya. This meeting marked an important step in the two institutions’ desire to strengthen their collaboration in public governance and institutional development in Africa.

During the meeting, Dr. ASSOUVI took the opportunity to present an overview of CAFRAD, its history, and its current vision, highlighting reforms undertaken to improve the organization’s efficiency. He emphasized the need to reposition CAFRAD as a key player in strengthening administrative capacity across the continent, while acknowledging the major challenges it currently faces, particularly in terms of financial sustainability.

A discussion followed on opportunities for cooperation. His Excellency Mr. Achraf TARSIM praised Dr. ASSOUVI’s commitment and CAFRAD’s prestigious history, underscoring the institution’s pioneering role in promoting public governance in Africa. He expressed AfDB’s support for this historic African institution through closer collaboration, noting that CAFRAD’s long-standing experience is a strategic asset for the development of African public administrations.