To choose a new president, the African Development Bank (AFDB) has scheduled a meeting for this week in Ivory Coast.
To succeed outgoing President Akinwumi Adesina, a Nigerian, candidates are vying from South Africa, Senegal, Zambia, Chad, and Mauritania.

According to reports, Adesina would leave office in September after completing a maximum of two five-year terms.

50.01% of the votes cast by the bank’s 54 African member nations and a second ballot of all 81 members, including non-African ones, must be cast for the election winner.

Thursday is when the outcome will be revealed. Nigeria is the largest shareholder in the largest development financing organization, which is owned by 54 African states as well as G7 countries including the United States and Japan.

As the U.S. federal government looks to reduce $555 million in funding to the African Development Fund (ADF) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), a new president will be elected.

Hannah Ryder, the founder of Development Reimagined, an Africa-focused consultancy, told Reuters that the new president will have to overcome obstacles like persuading the United States to restore financing, requesting more money from non-regional bank members like China or Gulf states like Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates in exchange for more influence, or asking African states to increase their contributions.

“This is going to be a big task, and it’s basically the first test for the new president,” Ryder said.

Fred Muhumuza, a lecturer at the business school at Makerere University in Kampala, also told Reuters that the meeting is anticipated to cover the ramifications of recent world events brought on by the Trump administration.

Muhumuza continued, “Many of the major contributors have been reducing bilateral support to African countries.”