AfDB: A Senegalese Candidate for the Presidency

Former Senegalese minister Amadou Hott will run for the presidency of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in the election scheduled for May 2025, as announced by the financial institution on Wednesday.

Due to his upcoming candidacy, Amadou Hott resigned from his position as the AfDB President's special envoy for the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa.

“This decision is motivated by my intention to run for the presidency of the African Development Bank, which could create a conflict with my current role at the bank,” reads the bank's website, citing the former Minister of Economy, Planning, and Cooperation.

Hott "has resigned from his position with immediate effect," the statement adds.

He paid tribute to the "exceptional visionary leadership" of Akinwumi Adesina, the Nigerian who has led the AfDB for nearly a decade.

The candidate expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to mobilizing resources for the Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa.

Amadou Hott was appointed the AfDB President's special envoy in December 2022 to help the financial institution lead Africa’s transition to “net-zero emissions” through green infrastructure investments.

Prior to this, Hott served as AfDB Vice President in charge of electricity, energy, green growth, and climate change. He left that position after being appointed Minister of Economy, Planning, and Cooperation in the Senegalese government.

“I thank him (Amadou Hott) for his exemplary work and the services he rendered to the African Development Bank and the [Alliance for Green Infrastructure in Africa],” the AfDB website quotes Akinwumi Adesina as saying.

In Senegal, the 51-year-old economist and banker Amadou Hott also served as a special advisor to former Senegalese President Macky Sall (April 2012-April 2024) and as CEO of the Priority Investment Guarantee Fund.