World Bank Group opens first office in Qatar to boost development cooperation

The World Bank Group opened its first office in Doha and signed a memorandum with the Qatar Fund for Development to deepen cooperation on development financing and joint initiatives, including efforts on electricity access and agricultural support.

The World Bank Group opened its first office in Doha and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Qatar Fund for Development during an inauguration ceremony. Senior officials from both organisations attended the event, and the new office is presented as a platform to expand collaboration with Qatar's public and private sectors. The World Bank said the office aims to support Qatar National Vision 2030 and to promote outbound investments into emerging markets. Key details: - The Memorandum of Understanding was signed during the official opening of the World Bank Group's Doha office. - Attendees included World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, QFFD Chairperson Sheikh Thani bin Hamad Al-Thani, Qatari Finance Minister Ali bin Ahmed Al-Kuwari, and Dr. Mariam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad. - The office is intended to facilitate the achievement of Qatar National Vision 2030 and to strengthen WBG engagement with public and private sectors in Qatar. - The office will be used as a platform to promote outbound investments into emerging markets regionally and globally. - The partnership emphasises innovative financing for development, reconstruction, recovery, and job creation across the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, and areas affected by fragility and conflict. - The Memorandum of Understanding notes planned collaboration on initiatives such as the M-300 effort to expand electricity access for 300 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa and the AgriConnect platform aiming to support up to 250 million smallholder farmers. Summary: The Doha office and the signed MOU are described as steps to deepen strategic cooperation between the World Bank Group and the Qatar Fund for Development, aligning on shared development priorities and financing approaches. The institutions plan to investigate further collaborative efforts focused on initiatives like M-300 and AgriConnect to support electricity access and agricultural livelihoods.