Islamic Development Bank: 30 leaders from 15 member countries graduate from strategic leadership program in Jeddah

Thirty leaders from 15 member countries of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and Muslim communities graduated on August 27, 2026, at the IsDB headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, following the Strategic Business Leadership Program. According to a statement from the Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI), the program was jointly designed with the Prince Mohammed Bin Salman College of Business & Entrepreneurship (MBSC) and supported by three entities of the IsDB group: ICIEC (credit insurance), ICD (private sector development), and ITFC (trade finance). Dr. Sami Al-Suwailem, acting director general of IsDBI, emphasized the importance of investing in the human capital of member countries. Dr. Khalid Khalafalla (ICIEC/ICD), Nazeem Noordali (ITFC), and Dr. Zeger Degraeve, executive dean of MBSC, also spoke. Hesham Ahmed Suqail and Mahwish Naeem, speaking on behalf of the graduates, praised a "transformative" experience. The full list of the 15 represented member countries was not detailed. The program combines executive training and practical learning in strategy, innovation, and organizational transformation. It expands the pool of trained leaders to drive private sector development and trade projects across the 57 member countries of the IsDB group. This initiative aligns with the economic diversification championed by MBSC, a school founded in 2020 in Riyadh as part of Vision 2030, and the IsDB group's effort to strengthen human capital to meet trade finance and investment guarantee needs in predominantly African and Asian member economies.