Istanbul, Türkiye, 28 February 2025 - The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Group Regional Hub Türkiye successfully organized an “Orientation and Project Management Workshop” from 24-28 February 2025 in Istanbul, Türkiye.

This marks the first regional workshop of its kind where key national project stakeholders were trained in project management practices and the requirements of multilateral development banks, to enhance project delivery.

Bringing together Project Management Units (PMUs), Executing Agencies (EAs), and key stakeholders, the workshop focused on strengthening participants’ capacities in the development project lifecycle, Islamic finance, project management, financial disbursement, procurement, and contract management. 

Staff from IsDB Group’s Regional Hub Türkiye and Headquarters led the sessions, providing comprehensive, hands-on training tailored to IsDB’s guidelines and best practices. 

The workshop began with a comprehensive introduction of the Bank and its field presence, followed by a deep dive into the entire IsDB project lifecycle and key linked processes. 

The Islamic Finance segment was particularly well received, equipping participants with a deeper understanding of Shari’a-compliant project financing modalities. Additionally, the financial disbursement and procurement sessions are expected to significantly improve the efficiency and speed of fund utilization in IsDB-financed projects.

Building on the momentum and experiences of the Operations Bootcamps held in IsDB HQ for the Project Management staff of the Bank, this workshop similarly aimed to equip national project teams with the knowledge to navigate IsDB’s operational frameworks more effectively, ensuring smoother project execution and enhanced financial oversight. 

The event was also an open forum for inter-project knowledge and experience sharing based on each participant’s direct engagement in IsDB projects, as it was about capacity enhancement on key project management practices

The positive feedback from the workshop participants underscored the impact of similar capacity-building initiatives in ensuring the successful and timely execution of development projects, and practical cross-fertilization of member country experiences. 

It is anticipated that the model of the workshop will be replicated across other IsDB Group Regional Hubs to have more effective capacity building for the PMUs, EAs and key government partners involved in IsDB projects.