When Sidi Ould Tah from Mauritania won the top job at Africa’s biggest development bank on Thursday 29 May 2025, his first words were simple but powerful: “Let’s go to work now, I’m ready!” Unlike most politicians who love fancy speeches, Tah jumped straight to the point. He won with a crushing 76% of votes because African leaders believed he could actually get things done.
Think of Tah as Africa’s new “money manager” for a bank that lends billions to build roads, hospitals, and schools across the continent. But he’s not your typical banker. He has a plan he calls “The Tah Doctrine” that focuses on five simple ideas: actually finishing projects on time, thinking big, using new technology, helping everyone benefit, and running a clean, honest operation.
What makes Tah different is his bold promise to make every dollar work ten times harder for Africa. Imagine if you invested one dollar and somehow turned it into ten dollars of real value for your community; that’s exactly what he wants to do across the entire continent. This isn’t just wishful thinking; it’s about being smarter with money and getting private companies to chip in alongside government funding.
Tah understands something many leaders miss: Africa’s biggest problem isn’t lack of money, it’s that countries can’t easily trade with each other. Right now, it’s often easier for a Nigerian businessman to ship goods to Europe than to neighboring Ghana. Tah wants to fix this by building better roads, railways, and power lines that connect African countries like never before. When goods, people, and electricity can move freely across borders, entire economies come alive.
Here’s where it gets really exciting: Tah sees Africa’s young population as its secret weapon. While other continents worry about aging populations, Africa has more young, energetic people than anywhere else on Earth. Instead of seeing this as a burden, Tah wants to turn these young Africans into entrepreneurs and innovators, especially in farming technology and mobile banking; areas where Africans are already leading the world.
The timing couldn’t be better. As the world focuses more on clean energy and fighting climate change, Tah wants Africa to be ahead of the curve, not playing catch-up. His plan involves building infrastructure that can handle extreme weather and help Africa become a global leader in green development, not just a follower.
But perhaps most importantly, Tah represents a new way of thinking about Africa’s future. For too long, the continent has depended on help from wealthy countries who often came with strings attached. Tah’s message is clear: Africa has the people, resources, and ideas to solve its own problems. The bank he now leads won’t just hand out loans, it will help African countries build the roads, power plants, and digital networks they need to trade with each other and compete globally.
“It’s about improving lives and making dreams a reality,” Tah says simply. Under his leadership, Africa’s development bank could become the engine that finally turns the continent’s vast potential into prosperity for its 1.4 billion people.
Let the work begin!
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