Senegal, Zambia, South Africa… five candidates to vie for AfDB’s president office

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has announced five candidates vying for the seat of the financial institution’s president.

In a statement on Friday, the AfDB announced that the list of contenders was finalised following a two-day meeting of the steering committee of the board of governors at the bank’s headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

“The Steering Committee, after examining the candidatures, cleared the following list of candidates for the office of the President of the AfDB during the next election to be held on May 29,” AfDB said.

The candidates include Hott Amadou from Senegal, Maimbo Munzele from Zambia, Tah Ould from Mauritania, Tolli Mahamat from Chad, and Tshabalala Swazi from South Africa.

The winner of the upcoming election will succeed Akinwumi Adesina, who has served as the president of the AfDB since 2015.

Speaking about his future plans in an interview with Arise Television on February 10, Adesina expressed his readiness to serve in any capacity after his tenure at the bank concludes.

He described himself as merely an instrument in the hands of God, dedicated to uplifting lives and transforming communities.

“There’s nothing else that makes me happy than seeing lives of people transform. That is what gives me satisfaction,” he said.

Adesina further emphasised his commitment to service, expressing his willingness to contribute in any capacity — whether globally, across Africa, or in Nigeria.