# The African Development Bank’s 2025 Annual Meetings kick off today in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, against a backdrop of global trade turmoil. Forty-seven African nations face new US tariffs, with 22 hit by rates of up to 50-percent. Over six-thousand delegates will focus on strengthening internal markets and regional value chains. A key highlight is the election of a new president, as the Nigerian Akinwumi Adesina’s second five-year term ends on 31 August. South Africa’s Bajabulile Swazi Tshabalala, the sole female nominee, is among the frontrunners.
African Development Bank Meetings open amid trade shocks and leadership shift