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
Infographic: Are African countries too dependent on the IMF?
Although the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is known as a “lender of last resort”, according to its own statements it is much more. It works
Infographic: Will African countries see growth in 2024 and beyond?
Released in January 2024, the World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects (GEP) echoes sentiment from the tail-end of 2023 – that global economic growth remains
Policy Brief: African Priorities for the G21 in 2024
In 2023, the African Union was officially included as a full, permanent member of the Group of 20 (G20) to form the G21. At Development
Event: OSC Establishes the Common Leveraging Union of Borrowers (CLUB)
On November 29th in Addis Ababa, after two days of deliberations with Ministers of Finance, the Organization of Southern Cooperation (OSC) formally announced the establishment
Event: The African Position on the G21 Common Framework: Actionable Ideas for Reform
On the sidelines of the 2023 World Bank – IMF Annual Meetings in Marrakesh, Morocco, on Friday 13th October 2023, Development Reimagined (DR) and the
Infographic: Will African countries see growth post-COVID?
The latest IMF World Economic Outlook (WEO) was released in October 2023, during the IMF and World Bank’s Annual Meetings – which were held on
Expert View: Recommendations for Debt Sustainability Analysis Reform
On Thursday 7th September 2023, Development Reimagined held an event on the sidelines of the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi. The event, aptly named Breaking
Event: Breaking the Bias: Rethinking Debt Sustainability for Africa’s Future
On the sidelines of the African Climate Summit, Development Reimagined hosted an event aimed at challenging the status quo embedded within the international debt system.
Report: Existing loans in 5 African countries are insufficient to fund infrastructure
Development Reimagined’s new report reveals that five selected African countries – which have either been classed as “in debt distress” or as “high risk” –
Event: Driving Economic Transformation: African Borrower Coordination in Action
On August 30th, during this year’s African Conference on Debt and Development (AfCoDD III), Development Reimagined co-organized a panel discussion with the African Forum and
Infographic: Infrastructure spending to meet the SDGs and debt sustainability – how to square the circle?
A few months ago, the Paris Summit for a “New Global Financial Pact” was announced to be held in June 2023. So far, the Summit
Infographic: The IMF’s latest Africa report: Too much Gloom and Doom
IMF released a new Africa-focused report In a recent address to the 3rd Pan-African Parliament Summit, the President of Kenya William Ruto remarked: “The discursive
Policy Brief: Development Reimagined’s Key Initiative: The Borrower’s Club
Download Why? Because Zambia will now borrow more for recurring expenditure and less for development infrastructure such as roads. Only the latter inevitably improves connectivity
Report: The African Development Bank is the Best Route for Special Drawing Rights in Africa
In August 2021, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued its largest allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) worth 650 billion USD to boost global liquidity
Report: New Report shows Multilateral Development Banks need to do more to incorporate SDGs in their lending
In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) replaced the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with the aim of ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring all
Talk to our experts today
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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