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Grants, VC funds, accelerators, and competitions for African entrepreneurs.
Grants, VC funds, accelerators, and competitions for African entrepreneurs.
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$1M–$500M+ (sovereign/infrastructure); ICD private sector financing varies
Multilateral development finance institution headquartered in Jeddah, serving 57 OIC member states. IsDB provides Sharia-compliant financing for infrastructure, agriculture, education, health, and private sector development across Africa through sovereign loans, equity participation, trade finance, and technical assistance. Approved ~$2.41B in new financing in recent board meeting.
Sovereign & Infrastructure Financing
Concessional and non-concessional loans for infrastructure, energy, transport, water, and industrial development projects in member states
Lives and Livelihoods Fund
Concessional financing facility (with Gates Foundation) providing soft loans for health, agriculture, and basic infrastructure in least-developed member countries
Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development
$2B fund (targeting $10B) using investment returns to soften lending terms for African member countries
Technical Assistance
Capacity building, institutional strengthening, and project preparation support
Private Sector Financing (via ICD)
Equity, quasi-equity, and Sharia-compliant financing for private sector projects through the Islamic Corporation for Development of the Private Sector
Trade Finance (via ITFC)
Trade financing through the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation
Infrastructure Development
Roads, bridges, energy systems, ports, and transport networks across member states.
Agriculture & Food Security
Agricultural development, irrigation, food systems, and rural livelihoods — joint priority with AfDB.
Health Systems
Health infrastructure, disease prevention, and health system strengthening through Lives and Livelihoods Fund.
Education & Human Capital
Education infrastructure, scholarship programmes, and skills development.
SME & Private Sector Development
Through ICD, financing for small and medium enterprises and private sector growth.
IsDB finances development projects in its 57 member states using Sharia-compliant instruments. In Africa, priority areas include infrastructure (roads, bridges, energy), agriculture and food security, health systems, education, and water/sanitation. The bank works primarily with sovereign governments but the private sector arm (ICD) also finances companies. Strong alignment with national development plans and OIC membership are prerequisites.
Technical assistance, capacity building, institutional strengthening, project supervision, and knowledge sharing through IsDB Institute
Only OIC member states in Africa are eligible — excludes major economies like South Africa, Kenya, Egypt (non-OIC); Primarily sovereign lending — not suitable for early-stage startups; Sharia compliance required for all transactions; Government endorsement typically required
For African startups and SMEs, the pathway is through ICD (icd-ps.org) rather than IsDB directly. The IsDB Scholarship Programme is a separate, well-regarded opportunity for individuals. For sovereign projects, engage your country's Ministry of Finance or Planning.
1975
Active Since
Yes
Deploying
Joint $2B commitment with AfDB for agriculture, energy, SMEs, and human development; $2.41B approved in new financing (364th board meeting); Senegal infrastructure upgrades; Lives and Livelihoods Fund across least-developed member states