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Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business
Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the leading national entity for development aid, hosted a
seminar for the students of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) to discuss the Fund’s
development work, operational activities, and achievements spanning 84 beneficiary countries.
The panellists shared insights on how ADFD has driven and supported UAE’s mission of socio-economic development fun-ding. By end-2016, the Fund disbursed AED80 billion, of which AED35 billion was allocated as concessionary loans, AED42 billion formed government grants, and AED3 billion comprised investments in companies and private equity funds. The session highlighted how ADFD’s development work contributed to the UAE achieving the status of top world aid donor in the field of official development assistance for 2016, according to report by Development Assistance Committee
of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Within the series of seminars
offered by the Fund to public and private universities and colleges, the session aimed to highlight UAE’s important work in development funding and its foreign aid strategy. Over the course of two hours, students of UAEU received a stimulating presentation about the Fund’s 46-year journey, its objectives and long-term mission
from Saeed Al Dhaheri, Director of Finance at ADFD, and Fatima Al Blooshi, Head of Media and
Communications at ADFD.
Fatima Al Blooshi lauded the fact that both ADFD and UAEU were established by the founding father of the UAE, late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, highlighting his revolutionary vision for global development assistance and education.