ADFD ‘has supported thousands of projects in 97 countries’

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, has hailed the success of Abu Dhabi Fund for Development on its 50th anniversary

Established in July 1971 by Sheikh Zayed, the country’s Founding Father, ADFD has invested about Dh150 billion on thousands of projects in 97 countries, making the UAE one of the largest donors of development aid worldwide.

The fund has “an ambitious strategy for the next 50 years in place” and was “gearing up to support the UAE’s role in achieving sustainable development both locally and across the world,” said Sheikh Mansour.

He said “the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has become one of the most prominent development institutions in the world” and a major contributor to “the building the economies of developing countries through providing support to the prosperity of such nations”.

“Over the past 50 years, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development and succeeded in administering soft loans, development grants and technical assistance provided by the Abu Dhabi Government to developing brotherly and friendly countries, thereby enabling them to implement numerous production and public service projects, promote economic growth, develop infrastructure and improve the quality of life for their citizens,” he said.

He congratulated the management and staff of the fund for “building the country’s image and consolidating its prestigious position within the international community as the largest donor of development aid in the world”.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, said the fund had contributed towards realising the UAE’s vision of supporting the economies of developing countries.

“Over the course of five decades, we in the UAE have created a unique model for development, leadership and excellence that helped us achieve top rankings in global competitiveness and human development indexes,” Sheikh Abdullah said.

Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, director-general of ADFD, said the investment had helped countries to develop the infrastructure needed to achieve sustainable development.

“We are on the cusp of a qualitative start for the next 50 years to become an enabler of a unique Emirati model of success,” he said