The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) have partnered in a move to increase their strategic partnership to better address fragility and build resilience across Africa.
This urgent commitment follows a high-level convening that was held from April 22–23 at the AfDB headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The dialogue focuses on easing burdens and ensuring that the areas affected by conflict and fragility in Africa are assisted and lifted from being left behind.
Countries that have experienced long-running instability face higher poverty and food insecurity, wide gaps in infrastructure and public services, low economic diversity, and deep institutional deficits.
The two-day convention brought together senior officials from both institutions to align development approaches, share best practices, and strengthen cooperation, particularly in countries experiencing conflict, political instability, or socioeconomic fragility.
According to Yero Baldeh, Director of the Transition States Coordination Office at the AfDB, the alliance with IsDB is not only strategic but also reinforces the shared vision of addressing complex challenges.
“By aligning our methodologies and leveraging our complementary strengths, we can deliver more sustainable solutions where development needs are most acute. This would be in reflection of tailored, context-specific approaches,” he said.
The IsDB delegation was led by Ahmed Berthe, Lead NGO and Civil Society Specialist, along with Senior Fragility and Resilience Specialists Esra Sayhi and Abass Kassim. They commended AfDB’s proactive shift toward anticipatory action and prevention, rather than simply reacting to crises.
Berthe pointed out that the two institutions serve many of the same member countries facing similar challenges, such it’s futuristic. “What impressed us most is that this partnership lays the groundwork for greater impact through coordinated investments and shared strategic priorities,” added Berthe.
Ozong Agborsangaya-Fiteu, Chief Operations Officer at the AfDB’s Transition States Coordination Office, emphasized that the partnership reflects a shared focus on building alliances that amplify development impact. “This is a move that is in line with our 2022–2026 Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience in Africa, ” said Ozong.
Strengthening Tools for Resilience in Fragile States
A key highlight was the African Development Bank’s Transition Support Facility (TSF), which committed over $610 million to fragile and conflict-affected countries in 2024 alone.
Discussions explored how TSF’s mechanisms could complement IsDB’s financing tools to create stronger synergies in shared operational regions.
The two banks also agreed to harmonize their assessment methodologies, coordinate financial instruments, and implement integrated climate security responses, particularly in vulnerable areas such as the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, where environmental stress often fuels instability.
Resilience with Climate Security in Focus
Climate change featured prominently in the discussions, as both institutions acknowledged its role in exacerbating fragility. The collaboration aims to promote holistic solutions that combine immediate humanitarian needs with long-term resilience strategies.
This collaboration promises to create a more powerful platform for advancing resilience where it’s needed most.
To operationalize the partnership, both institutions will establish a joint technical working group, tasked with implementing shared objectives. This will be followed up on by ensuring measurable results between 2025 and 2026, the duration of their respective strategies.
This collaboration showcases AfDB’s ongoing commitment to prevention-focused engagement in dealing with unprecedented eventualities. It also gives a demonstration of how development banks can scale impact through deliberate, strategic alliances.
