Under the Memorandum of Understanding, WBG and QFFD intend to explore future collaboration in support of countries aligned with global development priorities.
The World Bank Group (WBG) and the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding during the official opening of the World Bank Group’s office in Doha on Sunday.
The inauguration and signing ceremony were attended by Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, and Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, Qatar’s Minister of Finance.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding, WBG and QFFD aim to collaborate on initiatives supporting countries aligned with global development priorities, including projects to expand electricity access to 300 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The partnership also aims to improve the livelihoods of up to 250 million smallholder farmers worldwide through the World Bank Group’s AgriConnect platform.
Qatar’s Minister of Finance said the new office will boost the country’s economy and provide a platform to promote outbound investment in emerging markets both regionally and globally.
“The office will also allow countries in the region to benefit from the World Bank’s capacity-building programmes, including training young Qataris and enabling them to contribute internationally. This forms part of the human capital development strategies we both believe in,” Al Kuwari stated.
QFFD said the partnership underscores a shared commitment to innovative development financing, supporting reconstruction, recovery, and job creation across the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, and fragile or conflict-affected regions.
Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, said that by mobilising public and private sector instruments, the collaboration will focus on unlocking opportunities in priority sectors for long-term resilience, stability, and inclusive growth, including human capital, energy and mining, agribusiness, and digital development.
“The first one is infrastructure, and it includes bridges, roads, ports, airports, power, digitization. Second one is primary healthcare and its delivery into a distributed population for better health outcomes. Third is agriculture for small farmers,” Banga added.
The President of the World Bank Group also said the partnership would benefit several sectors, including tourism and manufacturing, particularly in minerals and metals.
This milestone further reinforces Qatar’s position as a global hub for economic and financial cooperation and highlights QFFD’s role as a catalyst for impactful international partnerships that advance equitable and sustainable development.
