AFRICA – The African Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) have reinforced their strategic partnership to enhance collective efforts in addressing fragility and building resilience across Africa. This commitment follows a high-level technical exchange held from 22-23 April at the bank headquarters in Abidjan.
The two-day mission brought together senior officials from both institutions to align approaches, share best practices, and strengthen collaboration to address complex challenges– particularly in transition states or experiencing fragility. This meeting builds on previous engagements between the two development institutions, including a 2019 Civil Society deep dive facilitated by the African Development Bank’s Civil Society Division, where key areas for joint action were initially identified.
“This strategic alliance with IsDB reinforces our shared vision of addressing complex challenges in transition states through tailored, context-specific approaches,” said Yero Baldeh, director of the Transition States Coordination Office at the African Development Bank. “By aligning our methodologies and leveraging our complementary strengths, we can deliver more sustainable solutions in places where development needs are most acute.”
The IsDB delegation was led by Ahmed Berthe, Lead NGO and Civil Society Specialist, and included Esra Sayhi and Abass Kassim, both senior fragility and resilience specialists.
“Our institutions serve many of the same member countries facing similar challenges,” noted Berthe. “What has impressed us most is the African Development Bank’s shift toward anticipatory action and prevention rather than simply responding to crises. This partnership creates a framework for maximizing our collective impact through coordinated investments, shared knowledge, and aligned strategic priorities.”
The exchange spotlighted the African Development Bank’s Transition Support Facility (TSF), which committed more than $610 million to projects in fragile contexts in 2024. Discussions explored how the TSF’s approach could complement IsDB’s financing tools and create stronger synergies in countries where both institutions operate.
Climate security emerged as a key theme, with both partners recognising the role of environmental challenges exacerbating fragility, particularly in vulnerable regions such as the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. The partnership will help develop integrated approaches that address immediate needs and build long-term resilience for both institutions.
The exchange also explored ways to harmonise assessment methodologies, coordinate financial instruments, and implement integrated approaches to climate security, with both institutions agreeing to establish a joint technical working group to operationalise the partnership.
“In line with our 2022-2026 Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience in Africa, this partnership reflects the bank’s strategic emphasis on building alliances that amplify our development impact,” said Ozong Agborsangaya-Fiteu, chief operations officer at RDTS. “By combining our institutional strengths with IsDB, we’re creating a more powerful platform for advancing resilience where it’s needed most.”
The partnership includes a structured implementation framework scheduled for 2025-2026, in line with the duration of both institutions’ strategies for fragility and resilience. A joint technical working group will operationalize the partnership, ensuring that concrete actions follow this strategic alignment.
This strategic collaboration advances the African Development Bank’s approach to staying engaged in fragile contexts, focusing on prevention rather than crisis response, and building strategic partnerships across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus—all key principles of its fragility and resilience strategy.