Queen Rania Meets OFID Director-General Following a Grant Agreement with Madrasati

(Office of Her Majesty – Press Department – Amman) As part of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah’s continued efforts to support and improve the public school system in Jordan and her passion for education, Her Majesty met with the Director-General of the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), Mr Suleiman J Al-Herbish, in Amman, today.

The meeting took place following signature by the Director-General of an agreement awarding US$700,000 in grant funding to the Madrasati Initiative, launched by Her Majesty in 2008.

The initiative aims at supporting the Jordanian public school system, which is facing difficulties as it continues to accommodate increasing numbers of Syrian refugee pupils.

During the meeting, Queen Rania commended OFID’s role in supporting sustainable development through education, programs and activities carried out by the developing countries and in line with the priorities of those countries.

Al-Herbish expressed his appreciation to Queen Rania for receiving the OFID delegation and praised the noble mandate of the Jordan River Foundation. He also recognized the considerable burdens that Jordan faces as a result of the Syrian crisis and reaffirmed OFID’s financial assistance to the Madrasati Initiative in this context.

About OFID

The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID)’s cooperation with Jordan began in 1977. To date, OFID has approved over US$68m for ten public sector projects. A further US$178m has been delivered in private sector and trade financing. The bulk of these resources has supported the energy, agriculture, health and education sectors. Other projects funded by OFID in Jordan include the Queen Rania Children Hospital at the King Hussein Medical City, the Queen Alia International Airport and the King Abdullah Hospital in Irbid, among others.

The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) is the development finance institution established by the Member States of OPEC in 1976 as a collective channel of aid to the developing countries. OFID works to stimulate economic growth and alleviate poverty in disadvantaged regions of the world by providing financing to build essential infrastructure, strengthen social services delivery and promote productivity, competitiveness and trade.