Grant Operations in 2001

Research and Similar Activities

In Africa, where women grow most of the food, gender issues go hand in hand with developing sustainable agriculture and alleviating poverty.

African Institute for Economic Development and Planning

Purpose: To help finance an annual training course
Amount: $70,000
Approved: August 28, 2001
Total cost: $207,200
Co-financiers: UNDP, World Bank, Government of France, Government of Japan
Implementing agency: African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP)
Grant administrator: OPEC Fund

This grant will help finance an annual training course on Agricultural Policy Analysis in Africa to be held in March 2002 in Dakar, Senegal. Sponsored by IDEP, aims are to help participants develop skills in the planning, analysis and management of agricultural development programs, placing a special focus on participatory approaches, environmental sustainability, gender equity and poverty alleviation issues. Established in 1962, IDEP is mandated to undertake a wide range of activities aimed at reinforcing and improving member governments' economic planning and development capabilities. To this end, it conducts training courses, organizes workshops and conferences, and provides advisory services for the benefit of public sector officials, involved, at national level, in the areas of planning, development and finance. This one-month course will cover three modules: African Development Policies and Poverty in Africa; Methods, Investigation Tools and Analytical Instruments; Selected Themes of Empirical Analysis; and, Rural Development Projects and Programs. Twenty-four participants from French-speaking countries will attend, comprising middle and high level officials involved in the agricultural development policies of ministries and other public institutions. The Fund's contribution will sponsor the attendance of seven participants and contribute to the acquisition of equipment.

African Technology Policy Studies Network

Purpose: To help finance a regional research project
Amount: $50,000
Approved: June 14, 2001
Total cost: $504,900
Co-financier: Ford Foundation
Implementing agency: African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS)
Grant administrator: OPEC Fund

Of all of the scientific research conducted in the world, Africa's contribution comprises barely 0.3%, despite the wide range of information technologies available. Although Africa has been drawn into the rapid economic and social changes that have been taking place globally, a cohesive strategy for implementing information and communication technology (ICT) policy reforms and applying modern communications technology in the scientific arena is still lacking. This grant will support a regional research project on Strengthening Information and Communication Technology Policy in Africa. Sponsored by the ATPS, aims are to assist African countries in their efforts to make effective use of available ICT resources through the use of research networks and new policy-making approaches. ATPS will carry out a comparative study in applying ICTs within sub-Saharan Africa, focussing on targeting possible areas of reform within the telecommunications industry in order to integrate the appropriate information technologies in an effective way. Goals are to utilize ICTs in the areas of agriculture, health and environment; monitor the impact of ICTs in both urban and rural regions; strengthen the capacity of the public sector to formulate policies for the use and training in various technologies; and organize analytical teams to undertake quality control studies.

Community-Based Libraries and Information Technology

Purpose: To establish libraries and resource centers in Ghana
Amount: $50,000
Approved: September 26, 2001
Co-financiers: UNICEF, Apirede community
Implementing agency: Community-Based Libraries and Information Technology (CBLIT)
Grant administrator: OPEC Fund

This grant supports an initiative to establish a network of Community Libraries and Resource Centers (CLRCs) in rural areas of Ghana. Developed by CBLIT, a Ghana-based, non-profit NGO, the main objective of this scheme is to set up a pilot CLRC in the town of Apirede, some 40 miles from the capital Accra. The Center will house a library, an information technology facility and a multipurpose room for social functions. Its establishment will facilitate learning for children and adults, while generating revenue to defray some of the center's operating costs. In order to demonstrate its support, the community has already donated three acres of land, architectural plans, books and other items. The Center will be equipped with books and online resource materials that will encompass the needs of school children, teachers and adults. Upon successful completion of the pilot project, plans are to replicate it in other rural areas of the country. The Fund contribution will help cover the costs of setting up the center, including its construction, and the provision of furniture, equipment and computer hardware.

Harvard Medical School/MIT

Purpose: Arsenic contamination research program in Bangladesh
Amount: $49,000
Approved: September 26, 2001
Implementing agency: Harvard University Department of Physics
Grant administrator: OPEC Fund

Although arsenic has always been present in Bangladesh's groundwater supply, concentrations were generally believed not high enough to cause harm. However, it has been discovered that 20% of the 11 million wells drilled over the past 15 years possess dangerous levels of arsenic, placing an estimated 30 million people at risk. This grant will help finance a project established by scientists at Harvard Medical School and MIT, and in collaboration with the Dhaka University Hospital in Bangladesh, to provide, as rapidly as possible, the affected populations with safe drinking water using a three-pronged strategy. Two of these involve research into the nature and causes of the contamination, while the third offers a more immediate solution in response to the urgency and severity of the problem. The Fund grant will co-finance locating and bringing test equipment to Bangladesh for precise measurement of arsenic in wells, as well as testing for the presence of coliform bacteria in replacement water. Medically trained personnel will be sent to Dhaka and surrounding villages to teach the people how to use the devices and conduct regular blood testing. This will be done in the form of a "pilot program," which can then be adopted on a wider scale.

In Bangladesh over 30 million people are threatened by arsenic in their well water. A Fund grant will support water testing and research.

Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four on International Monetary Affairs

Purpose: To help finance a development workshop
Amount: $100,000
Approved: July 12, 2001
Implementing agency: Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four on International Monetary Affairs (G-24)
Grant administrator: OPEC Fund

This grant helped finance the G-24 Workshop on Financing for Development which took place in New York in September 2001. The Workshop was undertaken in preparation for the [United Nations] International Conference on Financing for Development to be held in Mexico in 2002, and brought together international experts, high-level representatives of G-24 member governments, Group of 77 heads of missions, and Executive Directors and Alternates at the Boards of the IMF and the World Bank. In all, some 40 participants attended, in addition to authors and guest speakers. Among the primary themes discussed were resource transfers to developing countries; proposals for an orderly solution to the external debt program; and global economic governance. The Fund's contribution was used specifically towards defraying the costs of the seven research papers presented at the workshop, and for a workshop coordinator.

International Ocean Institute

Purpose: Training program
Amount: $52,000
Approved: March 27, 2001
Total cost: $171,000
Co-financiers: Association of Canadian Community Colleges, CIDA, Commonwealth Science Council, Ministry of Infrastructure, Ocean Science and Research Foundation, UNEP
Implementing agency: International Ocean Institute (IOI)
Grant administrator: OPEC Fund

This grant sponsored the attendance of eight participants from developing counties at an IOI training program that took place from May 28 to August 3, 2001, at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. Based on similar programs previously carried out by IOI, the 10-week workshop addressed the implementation and further elaboration of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: Its Implementation and Agenda 21. Topics covered included integrated coastal management and the development of ports and harbors, as well as the sustainable development of living and non-living resources, and activities such as seminars, roundtable discussions and field trips were held. The course was specifically designed to enhance the knowledge and strengthen the capabilities of mid-career professionals from developing countries in improved ocean management and decision-making skills. Founded in 1972, IOI is an independent, NGO active in promoting education, training and research to enhance the peaceful uses of oceans and their resources.

The sea is a vital source of food and income for many developing countries. The IOI works to protect the oceans and promote sustainable development of marine resources.

Islamic Academy of Sciences

Purpose: Biotechnology and genetic engineering conference
Amount: $35,000
Approved: August 28, 2001
Total cost: $199,920
Co-financiers: Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco, Islamic Academy of Sciences (IAS), ISESCO, IsDB, OIC Ministerial Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation
Implementing agency: IAS
Grant administrator: OPEC Fund

This grant helped finance the Eleventh Conference on Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering for Development in the Islamic World, which took place in Rabat, Morocco on October 22-26, 2001. The gathering was organized by IAS, an international, non-political, non-governmental institution, which works to enhance utilization of science and technology for the general development of Islamic countries and humanity at large. Attended by over 100 scientists, the conference discussed contemporary concepts in biotechnology; defined areas of importance in research and development; developed innovative proposals for future activities in this area; assessed the status of genetic engineering research in the Islamic world; formulated an Islamic scientific stand on biotechnology and genetic engineering off-shoot issues; defined a role for governments in terms of priorities; and, established paradigms that define the impact of biotechnology developments on the environment and agriculture.

South Center

Purpose: To purchase computer equipment
Amount: $100,000
Approved: August 29, 2001
Total cost: $205,507.53
Co-financier: South Center
Implementing agency: South Center
Grant administrator: OPEC Fund

This grant went towards the procurement of computer equipment for the Geneva-based South Center, an intergovernmental body of some 46 developing countries. Established in 1995, its objectives are to: promote South-South solidarity, networking and information exchange, as well as common interests in international fora; foster convergent views and approaches with respect to global economic, political and strategic issues; and, contribute to better mutual understanding and cooperation between the North and South. On a broader scale, the Center assists in elaborating the South's points of view on major policy issues and generating ideas and action-oriented proposals. This grant went towards the purchase and installation of computer equipment and software needed to upgrade the Center's information technology facilities and enable access to the UN computer system.

Third World Academy of Sciences

Purpose: To boost scientific research
Amount: $100,000
Approved: March 27, 2001
Total cost: $550,000
Co-financiers: UNESCO, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, host centers in developing countries
Implementing agency: Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)
Grant administrator: OPEC Fund

This grant helped support an initiative, developed by TWAS, aimed at strengthening research productivity among scientists in developing countries. TWAS, a non-governmental, non-profit, scientific organization, is the first international forum to facilitate mutual contacts among scientists from the South with a view to strengthening their scientific work and fostering collaboration. The Associate Membership Scheme at Centers of Excellence in the South was set up by TWAS in 1994 to promote South-South collaboration in science and technology. The program has since become widely successful, with the number of participating centers rising from 16 to 88 in just five years. Consisting of a network of Centers of Excellence in a variety of scientific disciplines, the scheme accepts new members by means of a merit-based, highly competitive selection process, giving special consideration to scientists from remote institutions in developing countries. Appointments are granted for a fixed period of three years, during which the successful candidates may visit the host center in their field of interest twice, for two-three months each time. They may pursue their own research interests and/or collaborate with the research teams at the host center in programs of common interest. At the end of the period, participants will be eligible to renew their membership for another three years.

Trans-Saharan Road Liaison Committee

Purpose: Training seminar
Amount: $25,000
Approved: August 28, 2001
Total cost: $69,769
Co-financier: IsDB
Implementing agency: Trans-Saharan Road Liaison Committee (TRLC)
Grant administrator: OPEC Fund


This grant helped finance the attendance of participants at a training seminar organized by the TRLC and held November 12-24, 2001 in Bamako, Mali. The workshop discussed topics relating to various technical, economical and financial issues concerning the ongoing construction of the Trans-Saharan Road. Work on the road began in 1966 and, so far, some 3,000-km of the planned 4,800 km have been completed. Africa, north and south of the Sahara, is investing much hope in the project, which is expected to help enhance trade and cooperation in the sub-region and thus contribute to Africa-wide social and economic development. The TRLC, with a membership consisting of Algeria, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Tunisia, was established at the same time as the launch of the project and entrusted with the coordination and management of issues relating to the construction of the road. In addition to its biannual meetings, the TRLC organizes workshops and seminars that have been of considerable value in facilitating progress towards the realization of its goal.

The Trans-Saharan Road will extend from Algiers to Lagos and from Tamanrasset to Bamako. Over 60% of the 4,800 km road network has already been completed.

West Asia and North Africa regions (WANA)

Purpose: To help finance a high-level ministerial meeting
Amount: $40,000
Approved: February 5, 2001
Total cost: $279,158
Co-financiers: Arab Fund, GM-UNCCD, IFAD, World Bank
Grant administrator: OPEC Fund

This grant helped finance a high-level ministerial meeting that was held in Rabat, Morocco from May 20-21, 2001 to promote cooperation among policy makers and donor agencies in addressing growing rural poverty and degradation of natural resources in the dry-land areas of WANA. Goals of the meeting were to develop a strategic policy framework and make recommendations towards facilitating its future implementation. Eleven countries were represented: Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Syria, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen. Participants included ministers of finance/planning, ministers of agriculture/rural development and ministers of environment, as well as representatives of multi/bilateral agencies operating in the concerned regions. Specific objectives were, among others, to: identify opportunities for collaboration that would increase the flow of resources to dry-land areas and optimize productivity; arrest desertification and reduce vulnerability to drought; sensitize the donor community and concerned ministries to opportunities for investing in the ecosystems of the region; and, share experiences and encourage knowledge transfer among countries and across institutions.

Environmental deterioration in dry-land areas of Western Asia and North Africa is exacerbating poverty for millions of people.