Vienna, Austria, Friday 10 April 2026 – OPEC Fund President Dr. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa has pledged support for the construction of a Cancer Centre in Sierra Leone and reiterated the Fund’s commitment to strengthening the country’s agriculture, energy and economic sectors. He made the remarks during a meeting with His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio at the OPEC Fund Headquarters.
Welcoming President Bio and his delegation, Dr. Alkhalifa expressed appreciation for the deepening partnership between Sierra Leone and the OPEC Fund. He said he was particularly pleased to meet the President following the successful 2024 Vienna Roundtable and to review the progress achieved since then.
Dr. Alkhalifa briefed President Bio on the Fund’s partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency aimed at expanding radiotherapy access in countries with limited or no treatment facilities, noting that the Democratic Republic of Congo has already benefited from this collaboration.
Senior OPEC Fund officials also updated President Bio on OFID’s co-financing of several pipeline projects since the Roundtable. These include the Livestock & Livelihoods Development Project (LLDP), for which USD 30 million has been approved; the Kambia Special Agro-Processing Zone (SAPZ) with USD 50 million approved; and the USD 50 million Bumbuna Hydro Project, which is pending Board approval. OFID is currently reviewing the pre-feasibility study of the Kambia-Kychom road.
Dr. Alkhalifa further assured President Bio that the Fund is prepared to support the West African Integration and Investment Summit to be convened in October this year. He also expressed commitment to assist Sierra Leone in mitigating the economic repercussions of the conflict in the Gulf region.
President Bio, in response, reaffirmed his appreciation for the partnership and commended the Fund’s leadership in advancing sustainable development. He thanked the OPEC Fund for co-hosting the 2024 Roundtable, which generated USD 850 million in pledges, including a USD 260 million new Country Partnership Strategy.
Highlighting the global economic impacts from the conflict, President Bio stated, “The disruption of critical energy supply routes has driven oil prices to historic highs, triggering inflationary pressures across transport, electricity and industrial production. At the same time, the conflict has severely constrained global fertilizer supply chains, pushing up input costs for agriculture, reducing yields, and heightening food insecurity risks, especially for developing countries.”
He added, “For countries like ours, which has made commendable progress in recent years toward macroeconomic stability and growth, these external pressures threaten to erode hard-won gains, widen fiscal deficits, and intensify the cost-of-living burden on citizens.”
Since the 2024 Vienna Roundtable, approximately 43 percent of the total USD 850 million in pledges, equivalent to USD 370 million, has already been translated into concrete investments, with projects either under implementation or in advanced stages of preparation.
The pledge by the OPEC Fund President also aligns with President Bio’s earlier commitment to establishing a Cancer Centre, a project that has faced delays due to difficulties in securing the necessary financing. Dr. Alkhalifa’s support is therefore a welcomed boost to President Bio’s longstanding goal of advancing healthcare in this critical area.
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