Khartoum/information office/21 August 2017/ Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) held Monday a ceremony to announce the signing of a number of Qatari development projects in the Republic of Sudan. The projects aim to continue the efforts of the State of Qatar in pushing forward the development process in Sudan, through backing joint projects that reflects the strong ties between both countries.
The ceremony was attended by Director-General of QFFD Khalifa bin Jassim Al Kuwari, HE Qatar's Ambassador to Sudan Abdulrahman Al Nuaimi, a number of Qatari officials and representatives of various charity and development institutions, in addition to Carter Center's Steven Blount.
In his speech, Al Kuwari said that the new joint projects are the second phase of establishing developmental projects in Darfur states that encourages the return of citizens to their homelands. Projects in social housing and economic empowerment will benefit a total of 150 thousand people. He added that Qatar's Fund for Development, in cooperation with Qatari charitable organizations, pledged to complete phase two of Darfur's reconstruction programme.
Al Kuwari added that the projects are part of Qatar's initiative for the development of Darfur and are worth $70 million. The projects are implemented in villages in five Darfur states, two projects in each state. It includes programmes to help those returning home earn a living and become economically empowered. The projects will also help establish peace and social cohesion. It will provide suitable aids to those returning as well.
The projects will take five years to implement and will benefit 300 thousand people according to the director-general of QFFD. The service centers established will include two primary schools for boys and for girls. It will also include two secondary schools. In addition to educational facilities, the center will have a health center, a police station, a mosque, and 15 houses for the employees. It will also have a water station, green areas, as well as solar energy. The fund will manage the center for three years before transferring the responsibility to local society committees after they are trained in cooperation with official authorities.
One of the agreements signed in the ceremony was one to develop the capabilities of the public health sector in Sudan, in cooperation with Carter Center. The agreements aims to protect peace and health. It will focus on developing health programmes for women and children by supporting the educational part of the health sector. It will also look to develop the skills of nurses and other workers in the field. The agreement also involves establishing training material and placing regulatory systems for the sector. The first stage of this support will be worth $2 million.
The ceremony also showed a presentation on a project for transferring electricity in the River Nile state. Qatar Fund for Development is financing the project with more than $218 million to provide electricity to Abo Ahmed area. QFFD cooperates with Hassad company, Kahramaa, Sudan's Ministry of Water Resources and Electricity, Setco Sudan, China's HEI, and a German consultancy. The project involves establishing an electricity transmission line that is 387 kilometers long, as well as five transmission stations.
The project is considered one of the Qatari fund's biggest investment projects in the region It covers large agricultural spaces suitable for producing grains, feed, an livestock among other products. These areas will help secure important food needs such as oils, corn, and animal feed.
QFFD also provided a presentation on its cooperation with UN organizations, such as the United Nations Development Programme to develop 12 projects worth $88.5 million. Work on those projects began in February and is scheduled to conclude by the end of the year. A total of 8.7 million people in 47 local villages could benefit from these projects. Some of the projects undertaken are road infrastructure, construction, sustainable water use, educational and health programmes, SMEs, agricultural projects among others.
One of the prominent projects will be on rebuilding trust between security apparatus and building the capabilities of government institutions. A total of 3000 fighters will be integrated socially and economically. These programmes are worth $11.6 million
Qatar Charity then presented the charitable and developmental projects taking place in the Republic of Sudan. Qatar Red Crescent also presented its efforts in health and water projects it undertook in Sudan.
Qatar Museums then discussed some of its efforts in cooperating with universities in mining and in the restoration of archaeological sites. After that, Education Above All through its Educate A Child programme discussed the most important projects funded by QFFD in the education sector. The programme noted that the fund targeted this sector in line with Qatar's policy in developmental and foreign aid.
In concluding the ceremony, QFFD expressed its thanks and appreciation for the cooperation in providing a safe and honorable life to the people of Darfur. Al Kuwari noted that the grants made from the fund will contribute to the development of small local areas that suffered from the armed conflict in Darfur. It will also help encourage those displaced to return home, providing them with a chance for stability and earning a living through productive projects.