Vienna, Austria, October 15, 2012. The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has signed new loan agreements with six partner countries in Africa and Asia. The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the World Bank/IMF Annual meetings in Tokyo, Japan, by Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, OFID Director-General, and various ministers of the beneficiary countries.
Commenting on the newly-signed loans, Mr. Al-Herbish said: “This latest round of financing will go a long way towards alleviating poverty and raising living standards for millions of people.” He explained that the projects ranged from the provision of safe drinking water and the construction/expansion of healthcare facilities, to rural electricity access and the rehabilitation of an important transport corridor.
The signed loan agreements comprise:
Congo Republic - Blanche Gomes Hospital-Phase II: To expand this maternal/childcare hospital located in the capital Brazzaville through the construction and equipping of a new 100-bed facility, thus doubling in-patient capacity. Amt. US$m 5.00
Ghana Trauma and Acute Health Care Center: To construct and equip a new medical emergency center at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital complex in the capital Accra that will serve some 18 million people. Amt. US$m 10.00
Lesotho Metolong Water Supply: To build dams, pumping stations and related infrastructure to deliver reliable water supplies to some 300,000 people in the capital Maseru and three outlying towns. Amt. US$m 3.00
Swaziland Lower Usuthu Water Supply: To build seven water supply schemes in six chiefdoms to provide around 30,000 people with a safe source of drinking water. Amt. US$m 14.16
Togo Adagali - Atakpamé Road Rehabilitation: To boost economic growth through the rehabilitation of an 80 km-long road that passes through important agricultural areas in the Plateaux Region, populated by around 1.3 million inhabitants. Amt. US$m 10.00
Yemen Al Mocha 60 MW Wind Park: To install all equipment and materials needed to supply wind-powered energy to around 75,000 people in under-served rural communities. Amt. US$m 20.00
Total Amt. US$m 62.16
In addition, a grant agreement was signed with the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) for an OFID/CAF joint initiative entitled Energy for the Poor Projects and Policies Preparation Facility in the Latin American Region, which aims at providing modern energy services to 15 developing countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay). The agreement was signed by Mr. Al-Herbish and L. Enrique García, Executive President, CAF.
Since its inception, OFID has committed more than US$14.2 billion in support of sustainable development in 132 countries.