H.E. Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, the President of the Islamic Development (IDB) headed today to Dakar, Senegal at the start of African tour also involves Mauritania and Niger.
In Mauritania the President will attend a Seminar organized by the African Caucus of the IMF and the World Bank on “Financing Africa’s Development: the Role of Non-Traditional Donors”. He will deliver an important statement on behalf of the Coordination Group highlighting the important role played by this Group in supporting the economic and socio development in Africa. In this regard, the Group has provided development assistance in the range of US$ 80 billion out of which almost 50% went to Africa.
On this occasion the President will sign some US$ 53 million framework agreement highlighting the contemplated IDB’s support to Mauritania within the framework of Jeddah Declaration and the Special Program for Development of Africa in evenness with the objectives of the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD). The agreement aimed at boosting agriculture production in the country through the provision of agricultural inputs and development of irrigation schemes and traditional agriculture.

In Senegal he will also sign a same framework agreement with the Government of Senegal. The agreement will earmark an amount of US$ 51.25 million to boost agriculture production in the country through the provision of agricultural inputs and development of irrigation schemes and traditional agriculture. The framework agreement will also cover the vocational literacy training program under ISFD.
A third agreement in the same context will be signed with the Government of Niger. The US$ 51.65 million agreement will boost agriculture production in the country through the provision of agricultural inputs, development of irrigation schemes and traditional agriculture.

The Jeddah Declaration was announced by the Islamic Development Bank last June where it has allocated $1.5 billion to support efforts to meet immediate, medium and long term food crisis in its least developed member countries (LDMCs), though some programs will benefit other members as well.
The program, which will go over a 5-year period, known as Jeddah Declaration, is targeting needy countries in particular in various short term programs that include helping in building strategic inventory of food security, provide agricultural inputs, pesticides, fertilizers to help countries in the coming agricultural season, help provide fodder, agricultural machinery and equipments.
In Niger the President will participate in the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of Kandadji Dam within the framework of a major development program aiming at the optimum utilization of Niger basin natural resources.
The IDB earmarked US$ 50 million for the project and played a key role in the preparation of the studies for this program. It also hosted two roundtable meetings in its headquarters in Jeddah for mobilizing other donors to contribute to the construction of the Taoussa Dam Project in Mali and the Kandadji Dam Program in Niger, where the Presidents of the two countries attended.
As a matter of fact the IDB Board of Executive Directors has approved IDB’s participation in the Kandadji Dam for an amount of US$ 50 million.