Nigeria, May 29 -- The election of Dr Sidi Ould Tah as the ninth President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) today at the Annual General Meeting in Abidjan, with a commanding 73 per cent of Regional Member Countries (RMCs) and 77 per cent overall - a double mandate never before achieved in the Bank's history - was no surprise to those who have watched the quiet unraveling of a Bank created to be Africa's development enabler. For years, the AfDB has toggled between caution and vision. The moment now demands more: a catalytic presidency - and with it, a doctrine.

Mr Tah will formally assume office in September. But already, Africa and its partners are reading the signs - not of personality, but of direction. This is not just a transit...