Dakar, Senegal, 28.01.2014- The President of Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali has stated that its time to take advantage of the growth of Sub-saharan Africa in order to maximize the development impact in IDB member countries and Muslim communities in non-member countries.
Dr Ahmad Ali made the remarks in his keynote speech in Dakar, the capital of Senegal during the High Level Regional Forum organized by IDB for 17 sub-Saharan African countries, and Muslim communities in non-member countries, as part of the 40 years anniversary celebration.
According to the President “Sub-Saharan Africa is today among the fastest-growing regions worldwide, and its growth rates are expected to exceed those of all other regions. In this regard, we need to emphasize the following lessons learnt from the development process in the coming years”:
Firstly “Joint action and synergy have a double impact as they help overcome impediments to development locally and reinforce economic competitiveness internationally”. Secondly, “Cooperation is an effective tool in attaining MDGs and is even more important to post-2015 objectives”
And finally “time has come for us to take advantage of economies of scale, manage shared resources, rationalize local supply and procurement mechanisms, and access to international markets”.

President Ahmad Mohamed Ali stated that at the age of 40 IDB Group did not only survive, but has also grown over the last forty years amid challenges in which it was created. Yet, according to Dr. Ali, what counts most in the life of our institution is not to remain alive at the age of forty, rather it is the difference it has made in the lives of the people of our Ummah during that period.
President Ahmad Mohamed Ali, therefore, called on all participants from member and non-member countries to actively take advantage of the high level forum in Senegal to give their inputs in shaping the 10 year strategy of the IDB Group.

Present during the speech by the IDB President were the Prime Minister of Senegal, the Minister of Finance and Economy of Senegal, IDB Governors and representatives from the 17 countries, members of the academia, private sector representatives and other stakeholders.