Africa Has Chosen Its Development Leader. Now Climate Must Be His First Test
W
ith the election of Mauritanian economist Sidi Ould Tah as the new president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Africa has a fresh opportunity to steer its development trajectory. Tah, who secured over 76% of the vote from the Bank’s 81 member countries, brings a wealth of experience from his tenure at the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa.
On a continent warming faster than the global average, according to the IPCC and the World Meteorological Organization, climate shocks are intensifying. Cyclones in the South, floods in Central Africa, and worsening droughts across the Sahel are displacing millions and eating away at economic gains. These are not isolated events, they are systemic threats to stability, governance, and development.
So while the continent has chosen its development steward, the real test begins now: Will this presidency rise to the climate challenge?
The AfDB is not starting from scratch. In fact, it has been steadily shifting toward climate-aligned development in recent years. The percentage of projects designed with climate considerations rose from 77% in 2016 to 98% in 2024, with a target of 100% by 2025. Climate finance allocation also increased, from 41% in 2021, to 45% in 2022, 55% in 2023, and 49% in 2024, consistently exceeding the 40% benchmark. In absolute terms, climate finance grew from $2.4 billion in 2021 to $5.8 billion in 2023, reaching $5.5 billion in 2024. In the same year, the Bank approved $11 billion in new investments, its highest annual total to date.
Under Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the AfDB earned its stripes as a climate actor. The Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), co-designed by the AfDB and the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and endorsed by the African Union, is climate-proofing $25 billion worth of investments by 2025. The Climate Action Window (CAW), established through the African Development Fund (ADF), the Bank’s concessional arm, is another key initiative aimed at boosting climate resilience and green growth in Africa’s most vulnerable countries.
Dr. Tah envisions transforming the AfDB into a catalyst for Africa’s economic sovereignty. His key priorities speak to the urgency of the moment and include:
- Mobilizing Capital: Broadening the Bank’s funding sources by leveraging partnerships with the private sector, multilateral institutions, and regional development banks.
- Financial System Reform: Implementing reforms to enhance the efficiency and resilience of Africa’s financial systems.
- Formalizing the Informal Sector: Integrating the informal sector, which employs a significant portion of Africans, into the formal economy to harness its potential.
- Climate-Resilient Infrastructure: Investing in infrastructure that can withstand climate challenges and ensure sustainable development.
This is particularly needed, with Africa needing $277 billion annually to meet its 2030 climate goals but receiving only $30 billion (CPI, 2023).
In a changing political landscape, it is promising to see a president-elect who places climate change at the center of the agenda. For Africa, climate is not a political matter, it is an urgency that demands action.
Tah will assume office in September, just ahead of two major milestones: the Africa Climate Summit in Addis Ababa from September 8 to 10, and COP30 in Belém, Brazil. As the continent’s largest development bank, the AfDB, having already committed $11 billion in 2024, must ensure that every dollar is climate-proofed and aligned with Africa’s priorities. This is what it means to aligning financial institutions with the objectives of the Paris Agreement is not a vague or abstract ideal. It means one thing: climate change must be a core consideration in every financial decision.
The ideas presented in this article aim to inspire adaptation action – they are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Global Center on Adaptation.
