Faced with successive crises weakening African economies, the issue of financing has become strategic. Amid energy shocks, food insecurity, debt pressures, and slowing investment, countries across the continent are seeking new levers to sustain growth and strengthen their economic autonomy.
Gathered around the issue of African trade resilience in a multipolar global environment, financial and institutional stakeholders are calling for better allocation of resources toward job-creating and value-generating sectors. The objective: to transform the continent’s economic growth into tangible opportunities for its people and the private sector.
“When we mobilize more resources through the architecture, we must ensure that the sectors in which these resources are invested are sectors that create enough jobs on the continent.”
Didier Acouetey, Senior Advisor to the President on the Private Sector at the African Development Bank – Togo
African economies remain vulnerable to global shocks. According to the World Bank, sub-Saharan Africa’s growth is expected to reach 3.8% in 2025, but this remains insufficient given the employment challenge. To strengthen their resilience, countries are focusing on diversifying financing sources, particularly through domestic resources, private investment, and alternative mechanisms such as Islamic finance.
“We can work directly with governments to accelerate the disbursement of operations to address any emergency crisis. If necessary, we can mobilize long-term project development. These could be operations, projects, or other investment operations.”
Dr Andrew Dabalen, Chief Economist for the Africa Region at the World Bank – kenya
These new financial instruments should enable African states to better respond to crises and support strategic sectors such as infrastructure, energy, and agriculture. In 2025, the Islamic Development Bank increased its financing approvals to nearly USD 16 billion, compared with USD 6.8 billion in 2020, with approximately USD 11 billion in disbursements to support vulnerable economies.
“Islamic finance is here. It is part of the toolkit. It is not the only solution. We should stop viewing it as an alternative to conventional financing; rather, it is part of the available financing toolkit.”
Areef Suleman, Chief Economist of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group – South Africa
In a global context marked by a growing number of crises, Africa is therefore seeking to strengthen its own economic resilience capacities. The priority is now to better mobilize available resources, attract more private investment, and direct financing toward sectors capable of creating sustainable jobs. This strategy is presented as essential to making the continent a more autonomous player in the global economy.
