This study is divided into seven chapters. Chapter 1 is provides a general description of the
aims and proposed method of the study. Chapter 2 presents a comprehensive survey of the
literature on development finance institutions from the international perspective. This survey
forms the basis for chapter 3, which covers the experience of DFIs in Africa. Within the
framework of development finance in Africa, the issues of financial, legal and regulatory
reforms are examined. Chapter 4 then documents the current state of development finance in
the SADC region, in particular relating to the access to finance, size of DFIs, ownership,
funding, business model, financial performance, mandate and so on. Chapter 5 discusses the
challenges and opportunities related to the DFIs and Chapter 6 assesses the DFI Network
mandate under FIP, taking into account other SADC development finance structures such as
the SADC Development Fund (SADC DF), Project Preparation and Development Facility
(PPDF) and Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). The concluding chapter, chapter 7, briefly
discusses the policy options, the proposed action plan and recommendations for the future.