Kuwait, Sao Tome and Principe sign agreement
KFAED offers Gambia $17 million loan
MALABO: Kuwait yesterday signed an agreement with the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe over a project to finance a hospital in the African archipelago. The agreement worth KD 5 million ($17 million) was signed by Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled AlHamad Al-Sabah and Sao Tome and Principe’s Minister of Economy and Finance Americo d’Oliveira dos Ramos. Moreover, both officials discussed bilateral ties in addition to issues of mutual concern.
The meeting was attended by Kuwait’s Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of Oil Anas Al-Saleh, Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Khaled Al-Jarallah, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister Ambassador Saleh Al-Loughani, Kuwait’s Amabassador to Equatorial Guinea Assad Al-Bahar, Kuwait’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Rashid Faleh and other foreign ministry officials.
Meanwhile, the Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) has signed a loan agreement worth KD 5 million ($17 million) with Gambia to finance a project for supporting basic education and secondary schools in the West African republic, KFAED said yesterday. The agreement was signed by Sabah Al-Khaled, on behalf of the fund, and Gambia’s Minister of Finance and Economy Abdou Kolley, KFAED added in a statement. This is the 13th loan the KFAED offers to Gambia.
The project aims to support social and economic development in Gambia, as part of the efforts to back the government’s strategic plan for the education sector (2016-2030), through expanding and developing 39 schools in six education directorates.
KFAED said the project would contribute to improving the output of education in the republic, and would also enhance the sustainable social and economic development. The fund fully depends on its own resources for the loans and aid it offers, it stressed. The previous 12 loans, totaling about KD 40 million, benefited various sectors in the country, besides technical assistance worth KD 869,000.
Basic education Meetings
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled also met with Eritrean Foreign Minister Othman Saleh Mohamed and Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Riayd Al-Maliki in Malabo. The meetings were held on the sidelines of the Africa-Arab Summit currently hosted by the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. They mainly discussed ways of promoting relations between both friendly nations in all fields, together with issues and topics of mutual interest.
The meetings were attended by Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Acting Oil Minister Anas Al-Saleh, and Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Suleiman Al-Jarallah as well as Director-General of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development Abdulwahab Al-Bader.
Also in attendance were CEO of Kuwait Public Authority for Investment Bader Mohammad Al-Saad, Acting Assistant Foreign Minister for Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled’s Office Affairs Ambassador Saleh Al-Loughani, Kuwait’s Ambassador to Gabon and Non-Resident Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea Asaad AlBaher, Kuwait’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Rashed Al-Hajri and Acting Assistant Foreign Minister for Africa Hamad Al-Mashaan.