OPEC Fund President visits Azerbaijan to deepen partnership and advance joint development agenda

November 4, 2025: The President of the OPEC Fund for International Development (the OPEC Fund), Abdulhamid Alkhalifa, is visiting Azerbaijan from November 5-6, 2025, for high-level meetings with the country’s leadership and to participate in an Arab Coordination Group (ACG) - Azerbaijan roundtable hosted by the Ministry of Economy in Baku.

The visit aims to deepen cooperation under the OPEC Fund’s Country Partnership Framework (CPF) signed with Azerbaijan in June 2025. The framework prioritizes investments in clean energy, water and sanitation, transport connectivity, digital transformation and sustainable urban development.

President Alkhalifa said: 

“The OPEC Fund and Azerbaijan are partners in progress, working together to deliver cleaner energy, safer transport and more livable cities. This visit is about turning shared priorities into concrete projects that improve lives.”

The ACG-Azerbaijan roundtable on November 5 will feature presentations of development programs and project opportunities by key ministries and agencies, and will include the signing of a Statement of Intent between the government and participating ACG institutions to strengthen collaboration.

The OPEC Fund delegation will also visit major project sites, including the Area-1 (Gobustan) wind farm, developed by Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power and co-financed with a US$50 million loan from the OPEC Fund. The facility forms part of the 240.5 MW Khizi–Absheron wind power project, Azerbaijan’s first large-scale, independently developed renewable energy investment, which will generate enough clean electricity to power more than 300,000 households and cut carbon emissions by about 400,000 tons per year.

In addition, President Alkhalifa and his team will tour potential sites for the “Livable Baku” initiative, an urban resilience and environmental rehabilitation program designed to improve public spaces, restore polluted areas and enhance the city’s overall sustainability.

The OPEC Fund has partnered with Azerbaijan since 2003, supporting projects in agriculture, energy, infrastructure and trade finance. The new Country Partnership Framework marks a next phase in this cooperation, aligning with the national development strategy “Azerbaijan 2030: National Priorities for Socio-Economic Development.”

About the OPEC Fund

The OPEC Fund for International Development (the OPEC Fund) is the only globally mandated development institution that provides financing from member countries to non-member countries exclusively. The organization works in cooperation with developing country partners and the international development community to stimulate economic growth and social progress in low- and middle-income countries around the world. The OPEC Fund was established in 1976 with a distinct purpose: to drive development, strengthen communities and empower people. Our work is people-centered, focusing on financing projects that meet essential needs, such as food, energy, infrastructure, employment (particularly relating to MSMEs), clean water and sanitation, healthcare and education. To date, the OPEC Fund has committed more than US$30 billion to development projects in over 125 countries with an estimated total project cost of more than US$200 billion. The OPEC Fund is rated AA+/Outlook Stable by Fitch and AA+, Outlook Stable by S&P. Our vision is a world where sustainable development is a reality for all.