South Africa is seeking Kenya’s support for its candidate, Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala to replace the outgoing African Development Bank (AfDB) President Dr. Akinwumi Adesina.
- •The elections for Adesina’s successor are set for the next Governing Council meeting in late May.
- •Tshabalala is a former Senior Vice President at the AfDB, after joining the institution in 2018 as Vice President for Finance and Chief Finance Officer.
- •Other candidates for the position include Hott Amadou (Senegal), Maimbo Samuel Munzele (Zambia), Tah Sidi Ould (Mauritania), and Tolli Abbas Mahamat (Chad).
Pretoria deployed its Special Envoy, Ayanda Dlodlo, to Nairobi with Tshabalala to meet Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi as part of continent-wide lobbying.
“Africa’s future hinges on three pillars: continuity to build on progress, innovation to accelerate growth, and inclusion to leave no one behind. Having risen through the ranks of the AfDB, I offer more than experience—I bring a leader’s vision to turn bold ideas into transformative action for our continent,” Tshabalala said during the meeting.
The 29 May 2025 elections have been preceded by intense lobbying across the continent. In March, candidates submitted their vision statements ahead of the polls. They are set to receive questions from the Governing Council in mid-April, ahead of direct interviews a day before the elections.
South Africa’s decision to endorse its own candidate caused a diplomatic row in late 2024, as the regional bloc SADC had settled on Zambia’s Samuel Maimbo. Pretoria defended itself by saying Tshabalala, who resigned to contest the seat, would represent continuity for the multilateral institution.