IOM Proposes Zakat, Muslim Donations as New Funding for Cameroon

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) wants Cameroon to explore Zakat and Sadaqah as new sources of development finance, adding Islamic philanthropy to a broader effort to channel diaspora resources toward investment. IOM Chief of Mission Abdel Rahmane Diop presented the proposal on September 29, 2026, in Yaoundé during consultations with the banking and financial sector on Cameroon's future National Diaspora Mobilization Strategy. “The IOM is one of the few international organizations with an official fatwa authorizing it to collect and manage Zakat and Sadaqah, in compliance with religious principles, transparency and accountability requirements,” Diop said at the headquarters of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC). However, no specific collection mechanism has been announced for Cameroon. The IOM has disclosed no funding target, timetable or financial partner that would receive the resources in the country. At this stage, Zakat and Sadaqah are among the instruments the organization wants to examine with public authorities, banks and other financial-sector players. The IOM already has an international ...