The Abu Dhabi Development Fund has signed a cooperation agreement with the UAE Red Crescent Authority to implement the Umm Al-Emarat Development Projects Program in the Comoros Islands. The program provides educational and healthcare services to over 360,000 people and contributes to improving the efficiency of services provided to the population in the Comoros Islands. The program also supports small and medium-sized productive projects in the agricultural sector, provides employment opportunities, and achieves self-sufficiency.

The Abu Dhabi Development Fund has signed a cooperation agreement with the UAE Red Crescent Authority to finance the Umm Al-Emarat Development Projects Program in the Comoros Islands, with the Fund allocating AED 35 million to finance the program as part of the UAE government’s grant to support development projects in the Comoros Islands.

The program aims to implement 7 pioneering development projects in the Comoros Islands in the education, health, and agriculture sectors, benefiting the main islands in the country. The program, which serves over 360,000 individuals, contributes to enhancing economic and social development, improving the quality of life for the population, and raising the efficiency of the services provided to them, especially in the health and education sectors.

The cooperation agreement was signed by His Excellency Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Development Fund, and His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Ateeq Al Falahi, Secretary-General of the UAE Red Crescent Authority. The signing ceremony was attended by His Excellency Khalifa Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Deputy Director General of the Abu Dhabi Development Fund, and a number of officials from both sides.

On this occasion, His Excellency Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi said, “The agreement comes to support sustainable development and improve living conditions for the population in the Comoros Islands by providing basic services in cooperation with the UAE Red Crescent Authority.”

He added that the Umm Al-Emarat Development Projects Program, funded by the Fund, will focus on supporting productive projects in the agricultural sector, in addition to its important role in improving the level of educational and healthcare services through the establishment of medical centers and providing modern schools. He pointed out that the projects funded by the Fund will help families develop their capabilities and achieve self-sufficiency, which contributes to stimulating economic activity and providing employment opportunities in many areas of the Comoros Islands.

For his part, His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Ateeq Al Falahi expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Abu Dhabi Development Fund for its role in financing the Umm Al-Emarat Development Projects Program in the Comoros Islands, as the program embodies the UAE’s keenness to support the efforts of the Comoros Islands government in providing the educational, healthcare, and social services needed by the population in the country.

He added that the Umm Al-Emarat program establishes a new phase that supports the efforts of the UAE Red Crescent Authority in the Comoros Islands, in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Development Fund. He emphasized that the presence of the Authority in the Comoros Islands and the financing of many development and humanitarian projects reflects the message and role played by the UAE in providing the necessary services and implementing development projects needed by the local population in needy countries, and also confirms the importance of the significant presence achieved by the Authority in implementing projects and programs that serve millions of people in all continents of the world.

The Umm Al-Emarat Development Projects Program in the Comoros Islands provides funding for seven pioneering development projects. These projects work to provide educational and healthcare services to a large number of people who suffer from a shortage of schools, health centers, and social development centers.

The development projects within the Umm Al-Emarat program in the Comoros Islands include the establishment of a family empowerment center for clothing weaving, with a cost of approximately AED 4.5 million, benefiting 90,000 individuals. The student housing project serves about 500 students annually and is located on a construction area of 2,100 square meters, with a cost of AED 10 million. In order to provide excellent medical services for mothers and children, the program includes the establishment of two maternity and childhood centers with a kidney dialysis center, at a cost of AED 13 million to provide medical care for over 260,000 patients annually. The program also contributes to supporting the kidney dialysis center project, which provides treatment for about 2,500 patients annually, with a cost of AED 3 million. The organized agriculture fields and livestock breeding project, with a cost of AED 1.5 million, works to support 1,200 families. To support the education sector, the program contributes to financing the establishment of a model school capable of accommodating 1,000 students annually, with a total cost of AED 3 million.

It is worth mentioning that the Abu Dhabi Development Fund started its development activities in the Comoros Islands since 1979, allocating AED 436 million to finance many development projects in vital sectors with sustainable development and economic impact, such as energy, education, health, water, transportation, and other important strategic projects that have contributed to improving infrastructure facilities in the country and have worked to stimulate economic growth.