FROM SCALE TO DELIVERY: WHAT THE AfDB'S NEXT CHAPTER MUST CONFRONT
By Dr. Henry Anibe Agbonika
The African Development Bank (AfDB) is entering a new phase. As Dr. Akinwumi Adesina concludes a consequential decade as President (2015–2025), Dr. Sidi Ould Tah steps in, not just as a successor, but as a strategic pivot in the institution’s future direction.
Adesina’s legacy is clear. He expanded the Bank’s capital from $93 billion to $318 billion, touched over 565 million lives, connected 28 million people to electricity, and mobilized over $200 billion through the Africa Investment Forum. He deepened the AfDB’s voice on the global stage and gave it narrative strength. But beneath the figures lies a deeper challenge: Africa’s financing needs are no longer just about capital. They are about conversion. Money raised must now become infrastructure delivered, enterprises launched, and livelihoods transformed. That is the core strategic imperative Tah inherits.
Dr. Adesina’s presidency was defined by scale. The AfDB launched a $1.5 billion emergency food facility during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching over 100 million people. The bank’s women’s financing platform, AFAWA, approved $2.5 billion in financing, with over $1.2 billion disbursed to more than 24,000 women entrepreneurs across 44 African countries. Over 1.7 million youth were trained in entrepreneurship and digital programmes. In total, $8.9 billion was raised in the most recent African Development Fund replenishment. These figures underscore an institution that grew in confidence, ambition, and continental visibility.
Yet even as financial flows increased, challenges in execution persisted. Project rollout remained slow in many countries. Procurement timelines dragged. Climate adaptation finance, despite political consensus, moved at an unsatisfactory pace. Infrastructure projects approved by the Board took too long to break ground. The AfDB found itself speaking boldly on Africa’s behalf, but still struggling to deliver consistently at scale and speed across diverse national systems.
This is where Tah’s emergence becomes strategic.
As head of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), Tah expanded assets from $4 billion to $5.78 billion, secured a AAA rating, and launched a $1 billion callable capital programme. His tenure reflected both technical credibility and diplomatic skill, especially in mobilizing Gulf capital for African priorities. His election signals the AfDB’s intent to diversify funding sources, particularly as Western partners like the United States signal major cuts to Africa-focused development assistance. In Tah, the Bank finds a leader with deep ties to the Arab world, a proven financing track record, and an understanding of delivery systems that work beyond donor frameworks.
The question now is not whether the Bank has capital. It is whether it can convert that capital into infrastructure, livelihoods, and regional competitiveness, efficiently, transparently, and at scale. That requires a shift from capital accumulation to capital conversion. It requires tighter oversight of national execution mechanisms, embedded delivery units in fragile contexts, and a sharper focus on disbursement speeds and project quality. If Adesina gave the Bank narrative and momentum, Tah must give it precision and operational discipline.
More importantly, the Bank must now double down on ensuring that its flagship platforms, like AFAWA and the Youth Investment Bank, move from initiative status to permanent institutional fixtures. They must be embedded in Africa’s national financial systems, not merely showcased in global convenings.
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina’s decade laid the foundation. He proved that African institutions could lead, mobilize, and set the global agenda. He reminded the world that Africa is not a problem to be solved, but a partner to be engaged. But the next phase is less about podiums and pledges, and more about pipelines and power lines, ports and productivity zones. It is about real delivery in real time.
Adesina once said, “This is not a job. This is a mission.” That mission now continues, with a new leader, a changing global context, and a continent that cannot afford any more delays.
Without a doubt, the election was strategic. The next phase must be operational.
Dr. Henry Anibe Agbonika is the Lead Consultant and Executive Curator at Policy Delivery International Limited. He can be reached via: henry.agbonika@gmail.com
