Development Finance
REIMAGINING GLOBAL FINANCE TO MEET BORROWER NEEDS
The analysis we have conducted at Development Reimagined is very clear: the International Finance System (IFS) needs to be reimagined and redesigned to center borrowers, providing significantly more fair and concessional finance for low-income and middle-income countries to fund their growth and achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We are a consultancy team that focuses on opportunity as much as risk. Our team provides expert development finance analysis, including on debt levels, loans, trade, financing gaps, investment and much more, as well as innovative ideas for raising more and higher quality finance. We’ve produced multiple flagship reports, including a handbook with Options for Reimagining Africa’s Debt System, as well as forecasting analysis of infrastructure needs for African countries across the continent.
Our data-driven analysis forms the basis of strategic and operational support and recommendations to governments, private sector and the public on sovereign debt, foreign direct investment and the IFS. We also specialize in providing this support in a coordinated way (i.e., across several borrowers) to enable borrowers to learn from each other and devise sustainable and effective strategies for engaging creditors.
Reimagining the international financial system of tomorrow
meet Our expert lead
JADE SCARFE
Jade is a Project Manager for Development Reimagined’s flagship project Africa Unconstrained, which focuses on financing needs and debt vulnerabilities of African countries. Her research focuses on China-Africa development finance alongside debt vulnerabilities, infrastructure needs and South-South cooperation. She has worked with a breadth of stakeholders from China, Africa and the wider international community, including governments, private sector, NGOs and civil society. Her writing has appeared in a number of publications, including The Africa Report, The China-Africa Project, The Diplomat and more. Jade holds a Master’s in China and Globalisation studies from King’s College London.
What we do
Keeping you one step ahead of development finance trends
We convene regular and impactful dialogues between African diplomats, policy-makers and businesspeople in different countries and settings – particularly African organizations on the ground in China – and we are proud to support African organizations in developing SDG-related or Agenda 2063-aligned partnerships in China (and vice versa).
We provide expert tailored advice and strategic recommendations for governments, the private sector and financial organizations (including multilateral development banks) to promote SDG-friendly economic growth and to secure or disburse high-quality grants, loans and investment projects and portfolios.
Elevating the impact of your development finance projects
Connecting you with powerful and reliable development partners
From invite-only, closed-door discussions to large-scale, public events, we organize online and hybrid events to bring diverse partners together to review today’s development finance challenges, propose forward-thinking solutions and coordinate next steps.
We offer professional coordination services to bring together high-level stakeholders from Africa, China and across the world to find innovative solutions to development finance challenges, while exploring areas of long-term collaboration for new financial opportunities.
Bringing together vital perspectives and uncommon wisdom
How we can help you
Sound Strategic Advice
Whether you’re aiming to get more out of your relationship with African and Chinese stakeholders, identify and mitigate geopolitical risks, or design and assess an aid project or loan, we have the experience to help you develop deep, data-driven, and truly sustainable strategic plans. As an independent, African-led consultancy with industry-leading expertise on African economies as well as China’s development, we work with private companies, government agencies, and international organizations of all sizes. Our clients on development finance matters include United Nations agencies, leading Chinese enterprises, European development agencies, and African government ministries.
Evidence-Based Analysis
Backed by data, our analyses simplify seemingly complex development finance topics that are often misunderstood or presented at surface level. We combine our 50+ years of experience, extensive in-house databases on development finance projects, and an unrivaled expert network of key African, Chinese, and European decision-makers to produce industry-leading research on all dimensions and vehicles of development finance, including loans, investment, grants, ESG risks and opportunities, and geopolitical or sociocultural analysis. We bring a unique perspective and deep data-driven insights to elevate the reach and impact of your development finance project.
BROWSE OUR WORK ON DEVELOPMENT FINANCE
Policy Brief: Empowering Growth: Key Strategies for a Successful 17th African Development Bank Replenishment
Date Published: May 21, 2025. The 17th replenishment of the African Development Fund (ADF), set to take place in November 2025, comes at a critical
Maximizing the Impact of Africa’s Multilateral Financial Institutions – What Next?
Date Published: April 25, 2025. On April 22, 2025, on the sidelines of the World Bank/ IMF Spring Meetings, Development Reimagined together with the Alliance
Enhancing Development Finance Institutions Financing for Cross-Border Regional Infrastructure in Africa
Date Published: April 25, 2025. On April 22nd, 2025, AUDA-NEPAD and Development Reimagined co-hosted an event in Washington, D.C., titled “Enhancing Development Finance Institutions for
Report: Options For Private Sector Climate Finance In Africa
Date Published: March 19, 2025. Climate finance is undoubtably one of Africa’s most challenging and pressing areas of development. African countries require substantial financing to
Expert Roundtable: Advancing U.S.-Africa Cooperation Under the New Administration
Date Published: March 17, 2025. Under President Trump’s second term, U.S. foreign policy has undergone significant shifts, with direct implications for U.S.-Africa relations. To explore
Report: Advancing African Agency Through Borrower Coordination
Date Published: February 17, 2025. A new joint report by Development Reimagined, the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), and AfriCatalyst, explores how African countries
Event: African Union Commission and Development Reimagined sign MoU
Date Published: February 15, 2025. The African Union Commission has officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Development Reimagined, reinforcing the continent’s drive to reshape
Policy Brief: Reimagining Credit Rating Agencies for African Priorities
Date Published: February 11, 2025. Over the last two decades, more African nations have joined the sovereign debt system. While in the 1990s only South
Infographic: Securing African Growth in 2025 – what lies ahead for the continent?
Date Published: January 6, 2025. Happy 2025! As we enter a new year, at DR we’ve been asking the question – what lies ahead for
Infographic: What do Africa’s Eurobonds mean for future debt levels and finance?
Date Published: November 13, 2024. Almost 30 years ago, South Africa became the first African country to issue a Eurobond – a bond issued in
Event: Reimagining Credit Rating Agencies for African Priorities
Date Published: October 28, 2024. 24 October 2024: On the sidelines of the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings, Development Reimagined and Falémé Conseil hosted
Event: Strategies for Reducing Private Sector Costs in Africa: Unlocking Economic Growth
Date Published: October 27, 2024. On October 23rd, Development Reimagined (DR) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), co-hosted a panel discussion titled
Event: African Leaders Say The African Credit Rating Agency Will Help Shift The Global Financial Architecture In Africa’s Favour
Date Published: September 28, 2024. On the eve of the United Nations (UN) Summit of the Future in New York, a group of leading African
Infographic: Do African Countries have enough access to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)?
Date Published: September 25, 2024. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is the lending arm of the World Bank Group for middle-income and
Event: Building Bridges – Collaboration for Growth Between China and African Multilateral Financial Institutions (AMFIs)
Date Published: September 19, 2024. On September 7th, the Alliance for African Multilateral Financial Institutions (AAMFI) and the African Union (AU), with the support of
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Use our work
At Development Reimagined, we’re dedicated to transforming the global conversation on development by expanding the reach of innovative perspectives that put Africa first. Hence, we welcome and permit you to quote, link to, and/or comment on our research reports and visual analytics on your organization’s website or social media posts under the condition that you provide proper attribution including reference to Development Reimagined and a link to the source page on the DR website, for any text, charts, images, or other DR content you use.
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