UAE to offer Dh367m grant to Pakistan

[Al Bhatti]

September 1, 2013

UAE to offer Dh367m grant to Pakistan

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development signs MoU with UAE Project to Assist Pakistan

Acting on directives from President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UAE Project to Assist Pakistan, whereby it presents a grant worth Dh367 million ($100 million) to fund development projects in Pakistan.

The MoU was signed by Mohammad Saif Al Suwaidi, Acting Director General of ADFD, and Abdullah Al Gafli, Director General of the UAE Project to Assist Pakistan, in the presence of a number of officials.

The grant will fund three vital development projects to bolster the transport, education and health sectors.

Al Suwaidi said, “The grant, which is under direct follow up by the UAE’s prudent leadership, reflects the UAE government’s interest in extending a helping hand to developing countries across the world in order to contribute to efforts to alleviate their suffering. The UAE is interested in being an effective partner in effective development projects, in particular in the infrastructure sector which is a pillar of economic and social development and the solid foundation of growth and prosperity of societies.”

The grant includes Dh223 million to fund the construction of Makeen-Miranshah Road, which will link South Waziristan with North Waziristan running though three cities and 20 villages. The project will also include the construction of 10 bridges spanning.

Dh92 million will be used to fund the second phase of the 1,000-bed UAE Specialist Hospital in Islamabad, one of the biggest health-care projects under construction in Pakistan. When completed, the hospital will be able to serve 6,000 outpatients a day.

Dh46 million of the grant will be used to build three vocational colleges in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

For his part, Al Gafli said the agreement with ADFD will boost the UAE’s humanitarian efforts in Paksitan under the directives of the wise leadership of Shaikh Khalifa, and General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The efforts are followed up by Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.

He affirmed that the grant will boost sustainable development and economic growth in Pakistan.

ADFD started its activity in Pakistan in 1981 when it provided a loan worth more than Dh66 million to fund the building of Tarbela Dam on the River Indus to boost Pakistan’s electricity sector.

UAE to offer Dh367m grant to Pakistan | GulfNews.com

 

[arushbhai]

Does anyone know how much aid pakistan receives each year from other countries?

 

[Al Bhatti]

More details:

Sep 2, 2013

US$100 million gift for UAE-backed projects in Pakistan

UAE-funded projects in Pakistan received another boost as an additional US$100 million (Dh367m) was granted for health care, education and road projects.

The money, given by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, was passed to the UAE projects in Pakistan team during a signing ceremony in Abu Dhabi yesterday.

Since 2011, the team has been working on the ground with a total of $162m from the fund, building 43 schools, 10 universities and colleges, seven hospitals and clinics, a nursing institute and a number of roads and bridges.

The first phase of completion has been set for the end of this year, with many projects finishing earlier than expected.
The bulk of the money signed off on yesterday - Dh223m - will be used to complete the building of roads and bridges, two of which were destroyed during the 2010 floods.

"The grant from Sheikh Khalifa was to rebuild the bridges up to the highest standards, able to withstand any natural disaster," said Abdullah Al Ghaffli, head of UAE projects in Pakistan. "We also opened a new border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan, it is already in use. There was no link between the two borders before."

The Makeen-Miranshah road, linking South and North Waziristan, including three major cities and 20 villages, will be the first paved road in the region, the fund said.

About Dh46m will be pumped into the education sector with three vocational colleges coming soon. The 1,000-bed Emirate Hospital in Islamabad, the largest hospital in the country, will receive Dh92m for completion. Once finished, it will cater to 6,000 walk-in patients a day.

Mr Al Ghaffli said a refurbished educational institute and hospital will be ready for handover as early as next week.

"Schools that were in the form of tents and house rooftops are buildings now," he said. "Fully furnished and complete with a computer lab. This has opened the door for pupils to get educated and learn new skills. This has also helped to encourage parents to enrol their children in schools."

He said a problem before was the need to travel long distances on rocky roads to get to a school. With so many new schools being built, pupils now have better access.

Currently, the 43 UAE-funded schools cater to 30,000 pupils from across the country. "And provided pupils with all they would need, including school bags," said Mr Al Ghaffli. "These projects led to the opportunity for community development, helping families get higher income and helping people fight poverty - to see a dream turn into a reality."

About Dh60m from the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation has been spent this year and last year to provide food to 63,000 families, most of them internally displaced. The total amount the fund has spent on projects in Pakistan is Dh1 billion.
"Relations with Pakistan go back to 1981," said Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, ADFD's acting general manager. "We still have an additional $130m to spend on projects in Pakistan. We first study proposals, extensively research. We let countries present what they want and evaluate how these projects will help people and the country's economy."

Mr Al Suwaidi said the fund preferred to work on projects such as roads, electricity and water, education and health care. Its first project in Afghanistan was Tarbela Dam. The fund provided a loan of Dh66m and the dam has helped provide residents with electricity.

US$100 million gift for UAE-backed projects in Pakistan - The National

 

[Ombiaz]

My God, when are we ever going to stop becoming a beggar nation?

 

[Al Bhatti]

My God, when are we ever going to stop becoming a beggar nation?

Not for at least the coming 60 years.