The Bankability Challenge
Good Projects Don’t Always Become Bankable Projects
Strong economic or commercial potential does not automatically translate into financing. Bankability is multidimensional — built from five interdependent pillars — and a project can be held back by a single unresolved gap even when every other dimension is strong.
Bankability / Investment Readiness
Project Fundamentals. Whether the project is technically sound, correctly structured, and backed by a sponsor capable of carrying it through development.
One Critical Gap Can Change Everything
A project may be technically sound and commercially attractive, yet remain unfinanceable because of an unresolved legal, financial, regulatory, or risk-allocation issue. The materiality of a gap depends on its nature, severity, and implications for the project’s risk profile and financing requirements — not every weakness carries equal weight.
Land and permits is shown above for illustration only — not an assessment result.
Identifying the gaps is the first step. Closing them is the work — a disciplined, repeatable methodology for getting there.
Our Methodology
From Project Potential to Financing Readiness
Promising projects do not become bankable by chance. They require rigorous preparation, robust project structuring, coordinated specialist expertise, and a financing strategy aligned with their risks, economics and implementation requirements.
Arcade Development Partners works alongside project sponsors to identify and address critical development gaps, complete essential studies, strengthen project structures, and prepare investment opportunities for engagement with appropriate capital providers.
Phase I — Diagnose & Plan
01 — DIAGNOSE
Understand the Project. Identify What Needs to Change.
Establish a clear picture of the project's development status, commercial proposition, technical foundations, institutional arrangements and financing constraints — then distinguish critical constraints from secondary improvements.
Key output
Project development diagnosis and prioritised bankability gaps.
Phase I — Diagnose & Plan
02 — PLAN
Define a Targeted Project Preparation Roadmap.
Translate the identified gaps into a practical, prioritised programme — determining which studies, technical, financial and legal reviews, and environmental and social workstreams are required, and in what sequence.
Key output
Tailored project preparation roadmap and defined advisory requirements.
Phase II — Mobilise & Prepare
03 — MOBILISE EXPERTISE
Bring the Right Expertise to the Project.
Identify and help mobilise appropriately vetted technical, financial, environmental, social, legal, regulatory and commercial advisors matched to the project's specific requirements, and coordinate their inputs.
Key output
Specialist advisory workstreams and a coordinated project preparation approach.
Phase II — Mobilise & Prepare
04 — PREPARE & STRENGTHEN
Build the Foundations of a Bankable Project.
Support sponsors in advancing the work required to close identified gaps — bringing technical, financial, commercial, legal and institutional workstreams together within a coherent project preparation process.
Feasibility & engineeringFinancial modellingRevenue & offtakeLegal, land & permitsEnvironmental & socialGovernance & risk allocationFunding structureKey output
Strengthened project structure, improved supporting studies and documentation, and progress against priority bankability gaps.
Phase III — Financing Readiness
05 — STRUCTURE & MOBILISE FINANCING
Prepare the Project for Capital Engagement.
Develop a financing approach reflecting the project's capital requirements, risk profile and revenue characteristics, spanning commercial debt, equity, development finance and blended finance where relevant.
Key output
Financing strategy, investment-ready documentation, and preparation for engagement with capital providers.
Financing decisions rest with the relevant lenders and investors — financial close cannot be guaranteed.
Beyond Advice. Towards Bankability.
Arcade Development Partners bridges the gap between identifying project development requirements and advancing the work needed to address them. By combining structured project preparation with access to appropriately vetted specialist advisors, we help sponsors strengthen their projects and prepare them for financing.
Integrated project preparation
A coordinated approach spanning technical, financial, commercial, environmental, social, legal and institutional requirements.
Vetted specialist expertise
Access to relevant professional capabilities matched to each project's specific preparation needs.
Financing-oriented execution
Project preparation directed toward stronger investment propositions and improved financing readiness.
Your Project Has Potential. Let’s Advance It Towards Bankability.
Every project has a different starting point. Arcade Development Partners helps sponsors identify what is required, mobilise the right expertise, strengthen the investment proposition, and prepare for engagement with potential financing partners.
From Project Concept to Bankable Investment Opportunity
APBI™ is backed by African-focused project preparation and advisory expertise — helping project sponsors move from early-stage concepts toward bankability and financing, with practical transaction experience.
Project Preparation
- Project structuring
- Feasibility assessment
- Business case development
- Project development strategy
- Transaction structuring
Financial Advisory
- Financial modelling
- Financial viability analysis
- Funding requirements
- Capital structure
- Debt and equity strategy
- Financing plans
Technical & Specialist Coordination
- Technical feasibility
- Engineering advisory
- Environmental and social requirements
- Legal and regulatory work
- Market studies
- Commercial due diligence
Risk & Bankability
- Bankability gap analysis
- Risk identification
- Risk allocation
- Risk mitigation strategies
- Lender / investor requirements
Capital Raising
- Financing strategy
- Investor targeting
- DFI engagement
- Commercial bank engagement
- Institutional investor engagement
- Equity and debt fundraising
Sectors
Energy & Power
Transport & Logistics
Water & Sanitation
Digital Infrastructure
Manufacturing
Agribusiness
Mining & Natural Resources
Healthcare
Real Estate & Urban Infrastructure
Industrial & Special Economic Zones
Additional sectors are added as assessment modules are built.
Who Is APBI™ For?
Project Promoters
Understand what is preventing your project from becoming financeable.
Assess your project →Governments & Public Institutions
Assess project readiness and identify preparation requirements.
Assess a project →Investors & Financiers
Investor registration will be launched in a future phase.
Coming SoonBuilding Africa’s Bankability Ecosystem
The long-term objective is to connect projects that need preparation, experts who can prepare them, and capital providers looking for investment opportunities.
Built Around What Financiers Look For
APBI™’s methodology, scoring pillars and mandatory gates are built around the requirements that investors, lenders and development finance institutions typically consider when evaluating project bankability. The platform does not represent the views, endorsement or interest of any development finance institution, bank, fund or investor.
Take the First Step Toward Bankability
Understand where your project stands today — and what it needs to become investment-ready.