The winners of the 2025 Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Prize for Impactful Achievement in Islamic Economics (Development Solutions Achievement category) received the awards during a ceremony on the side lines of the IsDB Group Annual Meetings on 20 May 2025 in Algiers, Algeria.
Medikids secured the first place for its innovative waqf initiative aimed at tackling the challenges of waqf management in Indonesia, with a portion of its net waqf profits allocated to the improvement of waqf assets and a range of social welfare programs.
The Blue Filter initiative won the third place for its pioneering initiative to develop a prototype designed to purify water by eliminating harmful contaminants that integrates natural filtration methods with sophisticated automation and control systems, yielding a solution that is both sustainable and exceptionally efficient.
IsDB Vice President (Finance) and CFO, Dr. Zamir Iqbal, presented the first-place prize award to Mr. Afdhal Aliasar, the team leader of Medikids project, during the 19th IsDB Global Forum on Islamic Finance, held as part of the Annual Meetings in Algiers. The third winner, Mr. Salah El Sadi, Founder & CEO, Blue Filter, was unable to attend the ceremony. The awards also included cash prizes of US$ 100,000 for the first-place winner, and US$ 30,000 for the third-place winner.
The winners were selected by an independent committee of experts from outside and inside of the IsDB Group, whose work is coordinated by the IsDB Institute. The selection committee has decided to withhold the second-place award.
Acting Director General of the IsDB Institute, Dr. Sami Al-Suwailem, congratulated the winners and wished them success in their endeavors.
In his comments on this occasion, Afdhal Aliasar, the team leader of Medikids project, said: “Medikids is a practical embodiment of solving the issues of developing waqf in a productive and sustainable manner, and it can be successfully implemented. The productive waqf asset, Medikids Dental Clinics, is capable of meeting the growing need for skilled medical professionals through high-quality education, as well as addressing the demand for quality healthcare services for children and the broader community.”
Salah El Sadi, Founder and CEO, Blue Filter, said, “We are deeply honored to receive this recognition from the Islamic Development Bank. The Blue Filter project was developed with a mission to provide affordable, sustainable, and eco-friendly water purification solutions for both drinking and agricultural use. Our technology operates without energy or chemical waste, making it a truly green innovation. By addressing water contamination and scarcity, we aim to improve public health, support food security, and enhance agricultural productivity—especially in underserved communities.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI).
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About the Islamic Development Bank Institute:
The Islamic Development Bank Institute (IsDBI) is the knowledge beacon of the Islamic Development Bank Group. Guided by the principles of Islamic economics and finance, the IsDB Institute leads the development of innovative knowledge-based solutions to support the sustainable economic advancement of IsDB Member Countries and various Muslim communities worldwide. The IsDB Institute enables economic development through pioneering research, human capital development, knowledge creation, dissemination, and management. The Institute leads initiatives to enable Islamic finance ecosystems, ultimately helping Member Countries achieve their development objectives. More information about the IsDB Institute is available on https://IsDBInstitute.org/
