Saudi envoy opens solar energy project for 1,240 schools

KARACHI: Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki has inaugurated a project to provide solar energy for 1,240 schools, benefitting more than 135,000 students annually, Saudi official news agency, SPA reported.

The project, funded by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), comes within the framework of supporting development projects in the education sector.

The project also comes in cooperation with the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office and under the supervision of the United Nations Office for Project Services, it added.

Through implementing the project, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia contributes to achieving the fourth and seventh goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals are mainly on the quality of education and providing affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

The project worked on installing solar energy systems, to provide clean, sustainable and renewable electricity in seven hard-to-reach areas in the south of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

The project reiterates the Saudi government’s keenness to achieve cooperation and solidarity between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, as the project will have an impact on developing the educational level in the country that would eventually contribute to raising the standard of living of the Pakistani people.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through the Saudi Fund for Development, provided three grants with a total amount of more than $333 million to contribute to the implementation of 23 projects. As many as 13 of these projects have been completed, while the other 10 projects are still in progress. The Saudi Fund for Development also provided 21 development loans, with a total amount of around $1.2 billion. Of which 12 projects have been completed, while nine are under implementation.

The Saudi Fund for Development is one of the largest active entities in providing sustainable development assistance. Established in 1975, it has contributed to achieving stability and prosperity for many developing countries, as this is in line with the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 regarding achieving prosperity and providing social and economic support to the developing countries.