OFID’s Governing Board approves over US$210 million in new funding

Vienna, Austria, June 25, 2018. The 163rd Session of the Governing Board of the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has approved over US$210 million of new funding to benefit developing countries across the globe.

The public sector loans, which total over US$136 million, will support the following projects:

Albania: US$16m. Tirana - Elbasan Road Emergency Remedial Works 

To complete works on a landslide-damaged highway. The project will reduce travel time significantly for the 750,000 people living in one of the country’s largest urban centers.      

Benin: US$24m.  Beroubouay-Malanville Road Rehabilitation

To rehabilitate a 169km stretch of road in an area inhabited by over one million people. This will help promote regional trade between Benin and its landlocked neighbors Niger and Burkina Faso.    

Burundi: US$20m.  Rumonge-Nyanza Lac Road Rehabilitation

To promote development in Burundi’s southwest region and strengthen regional integration with Tanzania. Around 340,000 living in the vicinity of this 52km stretch of road will benefit.    20.00

Cuba: US$25m.  Las Tunas Province Water and Sanitation (Phase II)

To expand water infrastructure in the eastern part of the country for circa 150,000 people.   

Kenya: US$25m.    Modogashe-Wajir Road

 To upgrade a 157km stretch of road in the east/northeast – a high poverty area populated by over 1.6 million people.    

Niger: US$15m.    Niamey Express Highway

To rehabilitate a 9.6km road connecting the Diori Hamami International Airport to the city center, benefiting over 1.2 million people.     

Uganda: US$11.5m.    Luwero-Butalangu Road

To upgrade a 30km road in an area highly dependent on agriculture. Around 678,000 people will benefit.       

Other approvals included six grants totaling US$3.81 million to the following organizations:

Envirofit International

US$200,000.  To promote the use of Envirofit’s ‘smart gas system’ utilizing LPG – liquefied petroleum gas – as a cooking solution among poor rural households in India. LPG will be made available on a per-use basis, thus making its use more affordable and sustainable. Initially benefiting around 10,000 people, the program’s scalable business model is expected to encourage other regions to adopt this cleaner source of energy.

Hilfswerk International

US$600,000. To improve maternal and child health in central Mozambique. Activities include constructing mother-care centers and installing water and renewable energy systems, as well as building/equipping rural health posts in rural, low-income provinces. Also planned is capacity-building at institutional and community levels and implementing outreach activities.

International Development Law Organization (IDLO)

US$1 million. To build national capacity in Bangladesh, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Uganda in regards to implementing law and policy reforms addressing non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

King Hussein Cancer Foundation

US$400,000. To help procure equipment for the King Hussein Cancer Center in Jordan to enable the delivery of less invasive diagnostic and treatment procedures. Over 4,000 patients per year are expected to benefit.

Mlinda Foundation

US$610,000. To enhance access to energy services to some 21,000 people in 41 villages by installing mini-grids. This will be coupled with capacity building to improve farm productivity, as well as the sale of energy-efficient appliances such as irrigation pumps.

UN Habitat

US$1 million. To be implemented under UN Habitat’s Global Water Operators’ Partnership Alliance, this project aims to improve the performance of water and sanitation utilities in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi, Samoa and Vietnam to benefit more than six million people.

Under OFID’s private sector facility, one financing facility of US$25 million was approved to support the expansion of construction materials facilities in Kenya and Uganda. Under OFID’s trade finance operations, US$45 million was approved to support international trade activities in El Salvador and Turkey.