Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – The African Development Bank Group’s president, Dr. Sidi Ould Tah, will head a high-level delegation to Addis Ababa for the 39th African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government. This trip is historic for the continent’s leading development finance organization because it is Dr. Ould Tah’s first time attending the AU Summit after taking office as president on September 1, 2025.
The president will establish the Bank Group as the main force behind the structural development of the continent by arriving with a clear mandate of partnership and commitment, demonstrating the organization’s steadfast support for African priorities.
The Bank president is expected to present the Bank’s “Four Cardinal Points” strategic vision at the summit, which aims to safeguard financial sovereignty, bridge Africa’s funding gap, capitalize on the demographic dividend, and create resilient infrastructure by transforming natural resources locally.
The Bank’s New African Financial Architecture, or NAFA, is a framework for mobilizing significant financial resources to fulfill Africa’s expanding development demands and close the funding gap impeding socioeconomic advancement. It is anchored to the Four Cardinal Points vision.
Significant strides have already been made by the Bank Group in pursuit of this goal, most notably the historic restocking of the African Development Fund (ADF), the Group’s concessional window that assists the most vulnerable nations in Africa. The ADF raised $11 billion in promises at the 17th replenishment meeting, which included 24 African nations, 19 of whom were making their first contributions.
Dr. Ould Tah will speak to Heads of State and Government on the second day of the Summit, outlining a plan that harmonizes the AU’s Agenda 2063 with the Bank’s Four Cardinal Points priorities. The president will hold a number of high-level bilateral talks with foreign partners and continental leaders in order to strengthen strategic cooperation after the plenary.
The Bank Group, in coordination with the AU and partners, will participate in several high-impact events designed to address the continent’s most pressing challenges. They include: The annual African Leaders for Nutrition (ALN) dinner, in partnership with the African Union and Nutrition International, a strategic meeting promoting the importance of early childhood nutrition.
The presentation of the 10th African Visa Openness Index.
A Heads of State and ministerial meetings with Africa CDC on health financing.
The 2nd Italy-Africa Summit, which will take stock of progress made by Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa.
