Press Release

 

OFID concludes mission to Lesotho
Holds talks with HM King Letsie III and Lesotho Prime Minister

PR02/2012
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OFID Director-General Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish (center) and Rt. Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Pakalitha Mosisili inaugurate the Maseru Water Supply project.

Vienna, Austria, January 23, 2012. A delegation from the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), led by Director-General Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, has completed a high-level mission to Lesotho. The main purpose of the visit was to sign a public sector loan agreement in support of the country’s water supply sector and to discuss OFID’s ongoing operations, as well to talk about future avenues of cooperation in the area of energy. These and other topics were covered during talks with His Majesty King Letsie III and Rt. Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Pakalitha Mosisili; among other senior officials.

The recently-signed US$9 million loan agreement will support the Five Towns Water Supply Project, which aims at providing safe drinking water to some 120,000 people. The agreement, which was signed by Mr. Al-Herbish and Lesotho’s Minister of Finance and Development Planning, HE Dr. Timothy Thahane, is the fourth loan OFID has extended to help bolster Lesotho’s water supply sector. “We at OFID believe that having access to a safe supply of drinking water is crucial to the fight against poverty,” said Mr. Al-Herbish.

A number of key talks took place with His Majesty the King, the Rt Honorable Prime Minister and the Minister of Natural Resources, HE Mr. Monyane Moleleki, to discuss Government’s poverty-reduction strategies and progress towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals. Mr. Al-Herbish also outlined OFID’s involvement in the Energy for the Poor Initiative and the High-level Group that has been tasked with implementing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s recent energy access initiative.

At the inauguration of an OFID co-financed project that connected over 3,000 homes in Maseru’s peri-urban areas to the water supply network, Mr. Al-Herbish said the event provided an opportunity for OFID to “express our commitment to the Kingdom of Lesotho and support its efforts to meet the ever-increasing water supply needs of its rapidly-growing population.” He offered assurances of OFID’s continued support and noted that the delegation was planning a site visit to the Metolong Water Supply Project that would help boost the availability of water in the capital Maseru and surrounding areas. The Prime Minister thanked OFID for its continuing support. Read the Director-General's statement.

Lesotho and OFID have been partners in development since the institution’s establishment in 1976. So far, OFID has provided 14 public sector loans that supported the country's transportation, health, industry and water supply sectors. OFID has also extended four grants that covered Lesotho's subscription to the Common Fund for Commodities; the development of solar gas and biogas production; childhood care; and food aid.