• The AfDB's new chief, Dr. Ould Tah, is expected to secure record ADF pledges, with the final session scheduled for December 2025, amid tighter global aid flows.
• The UAE, other Gulf states, and an increasing number of African countries are seen as alternatives as the U.S. cuts aid and Europe faces fiscal strain.
• The AfDB portfolio reached a Unit of Account (UA) of 49.14 billion in 2024; the outcome of ADF-17 is crucial to Agenda 2063 and the achievement of the SDGs in fragile states.

Dr Sidi Ould Tah’s first major challenge as president of the African Development Bank (AfDB) is already set securing record pledges for the African Development Fund (ADF), the institution’s concessional lending arm, ahead of a final session in December 2025. At the UN General Assembly in New York this week, Ould Tah met with Sheik Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates.

The Emirati official said his government was “ready to support the Bank’s mission in every way possible,” according to an AfDB statement released on September 24. The UAE is one of several Gulf countries that support the development agenda in Africa. Still, it has yet to provide resources for an ADF replenishment—the Fund channels low-cost resources to 37 African countries classified as low-income or fragile. In the last cycle, known as ADF-16, it raised about $8.9 billion. Expectations for ADF-17 are high as debt pressures, inflation, and climate shocks strain national budgets.

Ould Tah is also slated to meet African Union Commission Chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and UN Economic Commission for Africa head Claver Gatete to discuss financial architecture reform and regional integration. The talks follow African leaders’ push for a stronger continental voice in global economic governance and for mechanisms to keep more capital within domestic economies.

The timing is crucial. Washington’s new administration under Donald Trump has indicated plans to cut overseas aid and climate funding. European donors are dealing with rising costs related to the war in Ukraine and domestic political pressures. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE—key financial players in the Middle East—are seen as potential partners to fill any gaps that may arise.

African nations are stepping up. In May 2025, Ghana, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and The Gambia joined eight existing contributors with pledges totaling $16 million, increasing the number of regional sovereign contributors to 13. The AfDB Chief confirmed on Tuesday that several African countries have pledged support for the fund, according to a press release. A technical meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, from Oct. 7 to 9 will prepare for the December session.

Behind the fundraising drive is an expanding institution. By the end of 2024, the AfDB Group managed 1,369 active projects with a total value of UA 49.14 billion ($65 billion), up from UA 44.71 billion the previous year. The Bank mobilized UA 2.29 billion in co-financing that year, exceeding its target of UA 1.9 billion, which included UA 1.69 billion from partnerships and UA 597.1 million from syndication.

Ould Tah’s credentials with Gulf partners come from his 10-year tenure at the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa. Whether those connections result in new funding for the AfDB will be tested as the replenishment approaches its deadline in December 2025. The outcome of the replenishment is expected to impact the AfDB’s ability to support programs under Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially in fragile regions such as the Sahel, Horn of Africa, and parts of Central Africa. 

Cynthia Ebot Takang, Edited by Idriss Linge