Ambassador Hamed Opeloyeru explained the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) development programme for Africa to Philemon Yang. The Assistant Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), Nigerian-born Ambassador Hamed Opeloyeru yesterday, June 9 paid a courtesy visit to Cameroon’ Prime Minister, Philemon Yang. He used the audience to explain the importance of the Sub-regional Ministerial Forum on the implementation of the Special Programme for the Development of Africa that ended in Yaounde yesterday. The OIC Assistant Secretary General said Cameroon was one of the most influential member- countries of the 57-member organisation. The forum was organised by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the Organisation of Islamic Conference.

The special programme implemented by the IDB was established by the extra-ordinary summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference held in Makkah al Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia in December 2005. Hamed Opeloyeru’s visit to Cameroon’s Prime Minister came shortly after that of the President of the IDB, Ahmad Mohamed Ali on Tuesday. He re-echoed the message that the Special Programme for the Development of Africa will be financed with an amount of 12 billion US Dollars (over FCFA 6,600 billion). The programme, he said, is meant for member countries of the East, Central and Southern Africa sub-regions of the OIC group and aims at consolidating the contributions of the countries in the organisation’s communities.

The Special Programme, the OIC Assistant Secretary General disclosed, concerns infrastructure development, poverty alleviation and food security. The Yaounde forum, the OIC senior official said, was therefore an ideal platform to bring together all government parties and private sector establishments to sensitise them about the opportunities the programme offers. Stating that the programme was part of efforts to foster South-South cooperation, he said the opportunities if well harnessed and implemented will yield copious development projects.