“Infrastructure development is a priority of our work”

OPEC Fund President Abdulhamid Alkhalifa participated in the World Investment Conference in Riyadh in late November and spoke at two panels. In a ministerial roundtable he discussed how governments can help to unlock investments and presented the OPEC Fund’s policy-based loans as successful instruments: “They combine the creation of an enabling environment with the financing of concrete projects, based on the realization that individual successful projects only add up to joint successful development if they are serving a common goal.” 

At a later panel the President spoke about “Infrastructure Innovation in Emerging Economies”. He said: “Infrastructure development is a priority of our work. It is about creating the physical environment for successful economic development. And this means that it has to be about more than roads and bridges – it is about connecting people to opportunities, driving productivity, facilitating trade and creating access to essential service.” 

For the OPEC Fund infrastructure development has been a focus since inception in 1976. Over the past five years alone, completed projects have added more than 11,000 kilometers of roads in development partner countries. These roads connect communities, enhance trade while making daily life safer and more efficient. 

However, infrastructure is more than roads and bridges – it’s about connecting people to opportunities. President Alkhalifa told the panel: “Investment in infrastructure is an investment in our children’s future. This comes with huge opportunities, but also with enormous responsibility.”