The African Group of Consuls General celebrated the 48th anniversary of Africa Day at the Jeddah Hilton, with fond memories of the Organization of African Unity's formation. On the eve of this year's celebrations, the leaders, community members and missions of independent African states, held a grand reception. The event was attended by a number of distinguished Saudis represented by Ambassador Mohammed Ahmed Tayeb, Director General of the Saudi Foreign Ministry in the Makkah Region, as well as Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Ali, President of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IDB) with officials of international and regional institutions, consuls general and honorary consuls, among others. Saleh Attia, Consul General of Algeria and Dean of the African Group of Consuls General, welcomed guests at the event. “Celebrating Africa Day is an opportunity to remind you of the historical ties between nations of the African continent and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Africa is now on the way to achieving a true revival, global development and the achievement of the aspirations of the founding fathers of the African Unity Organization,” he remarked. He also thanked members of the African community for all its initiatives, the developed world and, in particular, G8 countries who have always paid special attention to Africa, considering it an important partner, interlocutor and leading representative in each of its meetings to discuss global economic conditions. Attia emphasized the importance of the theme ‘'Accelerating Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development” which was chosen this year by the African Union to celebrate the occasion. He said that it is a strategy to promote the situation of African youth through the development of their capacity to lead Africa to a successful future. “The strength of Africa is its youth, which constitutes the essential basis of the global revival of our continent,” he added. Attia requested Saudi businessmen, in particular, and those in the Gulf, in general, to invest in Africa and take advantage of opportunities for partnership and investment in the continent to strengthen economic relations between Saudi Arabia and African countries. Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Ali, President of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IDB), highlighted the importance of the volume of cooperation between IDB and African countries, where the IDB is providing funding for several development projects. Attia also presented a shield of honor to Dr. Ali and Ambassador Tayeb for their efforts and support to African countries.
