IsDB Commends Suriname's Achievements in Macroeconomic Stability and Collaborative Efforts on Affordable Housing, Education and Health
Paramaribo, Suriname, 27 September 2023 – The capital city of Paramaribo played host to a historic meeting between Suriname President, H.E. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, and the visiting President of Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, on 27 September 2023.
Dr. Al Jasser arrived in Paramaribo, Suriname, on 26 September 2023, on the second leg of his official South American tour, that had taken him to Guyana, earlier in the week.
President Santokhi stated that his country cherishes the long-standing cooperation with the IsDB Group. He further reiterated that Suriname is ready to work with the Bank to provide financing for affordable housing while seeking collaboration on medical education and scholarship opportunities for students. According to President Santokhi, the Government of Suriname is also prioritizing investment in agriculture to ensure food security.
During the meeting, the IsDB President expressed appreciation to the Government of Suriname for the continued support since joining the Bank in 1997. He congratulated the Government for its commitment to undertaking significant macroeconomic and structural reforms, and the successful completion of the 3rd review under the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility for Suriname (EFF), and voiced IsDB’s utmost readiness to support the Government of Suriname in meeting its most pressing socio-economic development needs.
H.E. Dr. Al Jasser reiterated IsDB’s great interest in Suriname’s development landscape and expressed commitment to partner in building strong medical education in the country.
Later in the day, President Al Jasser also had an engaging discussion with the speaker of Suriname’s parliament, H.E. Martinus Bee which focused on how to leverage macro-economic stability to attract investors. He then reiterated IsDB’s commitment to finance projects that impact the lives of ordinary citizens.
Since its inception, the IsDB Group has approved 36 operations for Suriname worth US$ 259 million for projects such as the Affordable Housing Project, the Technical and Vocation Education Training (TVET), and Secondary and Technical Education Support (STES) projects.