Press Release

Nigerian Government receives OFID Director-General Al-Herbish

OFID delegation to attend Sullivan Summit

69/2006 July 17, 2006, Vienna, Austria
Press inquiries:

The Director-General of the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, today begins an official, four-day visit to Nigeria, during which he is to be received by the Head of State, HE President Olusegun Obasanjo, and meet with several senior cabinet members. This would be the Director-General’s first courtesy call on the country. On the sidelines of the visit, Mr. Al-Herbish, with his delegation, will attend the VII Leon H. Sullivan Summit, which is being hosted by Nigeria in Abuja, the federal capital.

Nigeria is an OPEC and OFID Member State. The country has been instrumental in the management and administration of both institutions and has lent vigorous support to the various programs of OFID. A leading donor nation, Nigeria provides considerable official development assistance (ODA) particularly to low-income African countries.

At the Sullivan Summit, the Director-General proposes to address the plenary on battling poverty and social deprivation. Mr. Al-Herbish will speak on the cumulative accomplishments of OFID in facilitating development as well as on the institution’s perception of “corporate social responsibility.” The Sullivan Summit is periodically organized by Washington, DC-based Sullivan Foundation. This year’s gathering is focussing on “ Africa: a continent of opportunities.” The summit proposes “to address, at the policy-level and in practical terms, priority issues in business, trade and investments, support for NEPAD and engaging the Diaspora to assist and accelerate Africa’s economic development.” The mission of the Summit is to assist African development “by strengthening economic, political and cultural linkages between Africans, African-Americans and friends of Africa.” The first of the summits was held in 1991 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.