The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and Djibouti recently signed an agreement worth $77.8 million to finance the construction of a 220-bed general hospital in the African nation’s capital city.
The project aims to support efforts to combat disease, promote health and achieve economic and social well-being in Djibouti, the IDB said on its website.
Ilyas Moussa, Djibouti’s minister of economy and finance, stressed the importance of the partnership between the African nation and the IDB.
The partnership has resulted in a number of development projects including submarine communication cable which contributed to making Djibouti one of the most important communication centers in Africa.
Moussa said that with IDB’s assistance, Djibouti is looking forward to becoming a link between Africa and the Arab world in the halal industry and Islamic banking.
He added that his country is also looking forward to receiving IDB’s support to achieve social development and capacity building for the public and private sectors to implement the country’s five-year plan, which started in 2016.
He said that his country is working through its partnership with the IDB to realize integration and enhance trade exchange among the countries in the region.
IDB President Dr. Bandar Hajjar affirmed the bank’s readiness to assist Djibouti in the areas of human development and capacity building and to make the best of its efforts to ensure the success of the national plan.
He pointed out that the IDB is studying projects submitted recently by the ministries of health, environment, and woman and family in Djibouti with the intention to contribute to their financing.
The total financing approved by the IDB for Djibouti has reached $256 million for 56 operations in various sectors of economic and social development.

Source: Arab News