Niamey, Niger, 29 March 2021 – The President of the Republic of Niger, H.E. Mahamadou Issoufou, has officially inaugurated the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud University Campus in Niger, a waqf (endowment) project funded by the resources of the King Abdullah Fael Khair Program administered by the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).

Attending the ceremony at the special invitation of the President of the Republic of Niger, IsDB President, Dr. Bandar Hajjar, was a key guest and speaker at the event on 29^th March 2021 who touched upon the importance of the project stating that it addresses the needs of the community in the Republic of Niger and the nearby countries which are already suffering from low education services and social indices.

“This new campus enables the Niamey University Complex to increase student admission capacity and greatly contributes to preserving the values as well as global academic standards,” the IsDB President told the audience comprising  the OIC Secretary General H.E Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, Saudi Ambassador to Niger H.E Turki bin Naji Al-Ali, government officials and diplomats from Niger and those from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Member Countries, as well as representatives  from the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Program for charitable work (KAAP).

The Islamic Development Bank has been entrusted with supervision and implementation of the new facilities in full coordination with the University and has ensured that the campus is designed in accordance with modern international standards and equipped with the latest technologies.

This new academic facility is provided with a solar plant that supplies the facilities with the needed power for operation reducing the monthly electricity bills and maintaining a nearly green building concept.

Dr. Hajjar also seized this opportunity to commend President Mahamadou Issoufou as well as the Government and people of Niger for the socio-economic progress achieved over the past decade. “Niger’s economic growth reflects the committed leadership, its pro-poor stance and transformational policies”, he said while expressing his gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its support and commitment to helping societies around the world through its support for several initiatives, funds and programs managed by the Islamic Development Bank, such as the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development, the Quds and Al-Aqsa Funds, the Living and Livelihood  Fund, in addition to the King Abdullah Program for Charity Work.

At the end of the ceremony H.E Mahamadou Issoufou President of the Republic of Niger conferred on the IsDB President Dr. Bandar Hajjar, the Grand Award, the country's highest distinction, as appreciation to his role in supporting socio-economic development in the Republic of Niger.

During his official visit to the Republic of Niger, Dr. Bandar Hajjar, is also holding discussions and signing agreements with the Minister of Planning, who is also the IsDB Governor for Niger.

The Niamey University Complex for Girls inaugurated today is the female campus of the Islamic University in Niger, a university that belongs to the OIC and currently serves more than 3,300 students from 23 countries in the African continent (some coming all the way from Chad, Nigeria and Comoros islands and others). It currently houses five faculties in different specialties and aspires to become one of the leading research and educational institutions responding to the needs of the people in West Africa as well as the whole continent, by promoting a new generation of students, technically and morally equipped to face the future challenges of the world.