JEDDAH, 16 September 2007 — Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, president of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) yesterday pledged all-out support to international efforts to cut down poverty by half in African countries by 2015, an official statement said.
Speaking at a meeting of the Steering Group for Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through a video link, the president declared IDB’s partnership with the UN program in wiping out poverty from the African continent. “Most IDB member countries in Africa are still behind achieving the Millennium Development Goals,” Mohamed Ali said, adding that the IDB launched a $10 billion fund to improve their social and economic condition.
He also informed the group that the IDB was working on a special program for Africa with particular emphasis in the areas of education and agriculture. The program will be ready before the next Islamic summit in Senegal.
The $2 billion Ouagadougou Declaration which IDB has been successfully implementing in the last five years was another example of the keenness of his bank in supporting the development of Africa.
A joint communiqué issued by the group comprising the United Nations, the World Bank, the IMF, the European commission, the African Union Commission, the IDB, the UN Development Group and the African Development Bank, reaffirmed their commitment to reach the MDGs in Africa. It would work for development in areas of health, education, agriculture & food security and infrastructure.
