Ghana hospital inaugurates rehab project backed by Saudi Fund for Development

Ghana hospital inaugurates rehab project backed by Saudi Fund for Development
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Unveiling of the inaugural plaque of the hospital's renovation and expansion project. (SPA)
Ghana hospital inaugurates rehab project backed by Saudi Fund for Development
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Ghana President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led the inauguration of the project on Friday. (SPA)
Ghana hospital inaugurates rehab project backed by Saudi Fund for Development
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Ghana President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cuts the ribbon during the inauguration of the project on Friday. (SPA)
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Updated 17 August 2024
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Ghana hospital inaugurates rehab project backed by Saudi Fund for Development

Ghana hospital inaugurates rehab project backed by Saudi Fund for Development
  • The project is funded by SFD in two phases with a total value of $32 million through development loans
  • Specialized medical departments, emergency services, maternity and pediatric wards, and emergency units to be modernized

RIYADH: Work on the Saudi-backed rehabilitation and expansion project of Ghana’s Bolgatanga Regional Hospital has begun.

Ghana President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led the inauguration of the project on Friday, with Saudi and other officials of the west African republic in attendance, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Representing the Kingdom were Saudi Ambassador Sultan bin Abdulrahman Al-Dakhil and Director General Mohammed bin Adhan Al-Shammari of the Saudi Fund for Development’s Department of Africa Operations.




A view of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital in Ghana. (SPA)

The project is funded by SFD in two phases with a total value of $32 million through two development loans, according to the report.

“The project includes the construction and equipping of various buildings, including specialized medical departments, emergency services, maternity and pediatric wards, and emergency units. This aims to help reduce the spread of diseases and epidemics and enhance the level of integrated health care,” the report said.

SFD has supported 10 development projects and programs in Ghana through concessional development loans amounting to more than $124 million, aimed at enhancing sectors such as education, health, transport, energy and agriculture.




Under the project, the hospital will be supplied with modern medical facilities and equipment. (SPA)

About SFD

Since it started operating in 1975 and up to the end of 2020, the SFD had provided 730 development loans to finance 692 development projects and programs for 84 developing countries worldwide, according to the fund’s website.

SFD has also contributed to the signing of two financing agreements with the International Development Association, with a total amount of SR905.01 (more than $240 million), to bring the total amount provided by the SFD to SR69 billion.

Many countries in Africa have benefitted from the SDF’s soft loans. During the Saudi-Arab-African Economic Conference in Riyadh last November, the fund signed 14 new development loan agreements worth more than $580 million with 12 African ministers.

The amount is to fund projects in health care, water, education and transportation sectors in Angola, Burkina Faso, Benin, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Guinea, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Tanzania.

One of SFD’s projects for the continent is the Saudi Program for Drilling of Wells and Rural Development in Africa, which aims to sustain livelihoods by providing sustainable access to water resources.




Some 2,000 residents of two villages in rural Gambia had relied on this well for their water supply for more than three decades. (SFD photo)

Among the most enduring projects of this program are water wells in Gambia’s rural communities.

Safiya Saidi, a 50-year-old Mandinka woman from Gambia who has served as a caretaker of one of the SFD-funded water wells, said that her family and nearly 2,000 other residents of two villages had relied on the well for their water supply for more than three decades.

“Most people rely on this water well for years; it’s a source of water and food security for all of them,” she said.


Saudi teacher wins Gems Education Global Teacher Prize at World Governments Summit

Saudi teacher wins Gems Education Global Teacher Prize at World Governments Summit
Updated 13 February 2025
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Saudi teacher wins Gems Education Global Teacher Prize at World Governments Summit

Saudi teacher wins Gems Education Global Teacher Prize at World Governments Summit

DUBAI: Saudi teacher Mansour Al-Mansour was awarded the Gems Education Global Teacher Prize at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Thursday.

Al-Mansour received the award at the end of the summit, an annual event that draws leaders from across the globe.

An educator known for his charity work and instructing prisoners, Al-Mansour won the prize of $1 million.

Al-Mansour is also an author and is known for work in his community, including a program that helps ensure people have access to air conditioning maintenance during Saudi Arabia’s scorching summer months.

The prize is awarded by the Varkey Foundation, whose founder, Sunny Varkey, established the for-profit GEMS Education company that runs dozens of schools in Egypt, Qatar and the UAE.

– With inputs from AP


Expo 2025 Saudi pavilion launches tour of 7 Japanese cities

Expo 2025 Saudi pavilion launches tour of 7 Japanese cities
Updated 13 February 2025
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Expo 2025 Saudi pavilion launches tour of 7 Japanese cities

Expo 2025 Saudi pavilion launches tour of 7 Japanese cities

RIYADH: With two months to go until Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, the Saudi Pavilion is launching a tour of seven Japanese cities that offers an immersive experience for those interested in exploring Saudi culture.

The initiative will allow the Japanese community and tourists to experience Saudi hospitality, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Japan Ghazi Faisal Binzagr, who is also general commissioner for the Kingdom’s pavilion at Expo 2025, said: “People can connect with Saudi culture through these tours,” adding it would an opportunity for an authentic experience.

Starting in Osaka on Feb. 15-16, the tour will visit Kyoto on Feb. 17, Kobe from Feb. 22-23, Hiroshima from Feb. 24, Fukuoka from March 1-2, Nagoya from March 3 and Tokyo from March 8-9.

Expo 2025 opens on April 13, when the full Saudi Pavilion experience will be available.

This article originally appeared on Arab News Japan


Natural and historical allure of Al-Baha’s heritage villages

Natural and historical allure of Al-Baha’s heritage villages
Updated 13 February 2025
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Natural and historical allure of Al-Baha’s heritage villages

Natural and historical allure of Al-Baha’s heritage villages
  • Home to centuries-old monuments, the villages have buildings constructed with stone and clay

AL-BAHA: The Al-Baha Region is a unique tourist destination with its rich and diverse cultural heritage, the Saudi Press Agency reported recently.

Home to centuries-old monuments, the villages have buildings constructed with stone and clay in traditional architectural styles.

Two of the most notable heritage villages are Thee Ain and Al-Mousa that are favored by local and international visitors.

During the Al-Baha Winter Festival, the village of Thee Ain comes alive with cultural events that reflect the local heritage.

The village provides comprehensive information on its history and the Al-Baha region.

The region’s intangible heritage includes traditional foods, crafts and performing arts.

For children there are murals and displays offered to provide an engaging learning experience.


Saudi Arabia assumes presidency of global anti-corruption network

Saudi Arabia assumes presidency of global anti-corruption network
Updated 13 February 2025
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Saudi Arabia assumes presidency of global anti-corruption network

Saudi Arabia assumes presidency of global anti-corruption network
  • Spain passes on leadership at UN headquarters in Vienna
  • Saudi Arabia elected network chair for 3-year term in 2024

VIENNA: Saudi Arabia, through its Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, or Nazaha, has assumed the presidency of the Global Operational Network of Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Authorities.

Spain handed over the leadership of the GlobE Network during a ceremony at the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

Nasser Abaalkhail, Nazaha’s deputy for international collaboration, was installed as chairman of the committee, with Boni de Moraes Soares, Brazil’s national solicitor for international affairs, as vice chair.

Saudi Arabia was unanimously elected to chair the GlobE Network’s steering committee for the 2025 to 2027 term during a high-level meeting last year in Beijing, China.

Its election to lead the international network underscores member states’ recognition of the Kingdom’s commitment to fighting corruption, the SPA reported.

Established in 2021, the GlobE Network includes more than 229 law-enforcement agencies from over 124 countries, as well as numerous international organizations.

Abaalkhail said that Saudi Arabia aims to enhance collaboration among member states to combat corruption in alignment with the UN Convention Against Corruption.

As chair of the network, Saudi Arabia “seeks to create new strategies for asset recovery and initiate a secure communication platform to facilitate quicker and more efficient information exchange among member states,” Abaalkhail said in a statement carried by the SPA.

“This will enhance international cooperation and empower governments to tackle emerging challenges in combating corruption, refine asset recovery processes, and more effectively trace illicit funds across borders,” he said.

Since its creation, the network has had a positive impact on the efforts of members to combat cross-border corruption.

During a recent meeting of the network, representatives from Azerbaijan, Brazil, Chile, China, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, and Indonesia shared insights on various cross-border investigations.

This included joint efforts to uncover embezzlement of EU grant funds, the use of the network’s Secure Communication Platform to advance investigations, as well as operations targeting large-scale fraud involving value-added tax.

The participants also highlighted examples of swift action in asset recovery, successful extraditions, and effective collaboration between agencies to track and freeze offshore assets obtained through corruption, according to the network’s website.

Nazaha has taken considerable strides in combatting corruption in the Kingdom since its creation in 2016.

During December 2024, the authority arrested 145 citizens and residents — among them government employees — accused of various crimes including bribery and abuse of authority.


Saudi foreign minister discusses regional developments with French counterpart in Paris

Saudi foreign minister discusses regional developments with French counterpart in Paris
Updated 13 February 2025
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Saudi foreign minister discusses regional developments with French counterpart in Paris

Saudi foreign minister discusses regional developments with French counterpart in Paris
  • Prince Faisal headed the Saudi delegation at the AI Action Summit in the French capital this week

RIYADH: The Saudi minister of foreign affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, held talks in Paris on Wednesday with his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot.

They discussed recent developments in the Middle East and efforts to achieve security and peace in the region, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Fahd Al-Ruwaili, the Saudi ambassador to France, and Prince Musab bin Mohammed Al-Farhan, political advisor to the foreign minister, also attended the meeting.

Prince Faisal headed the Kingdom’s delegation at the AI Action Summit in the French capital on Monday and Tuesday. More than a thousand representatives of the private sector and civil society from nearly 100 countries attended the event.