Samar Yahya Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The African Group of Consuls General in Jeddah celebrated the 50th anniversary of Africa Day at Jeddah Hilton hotel on Saturday evening. The ceremony was held in the presence of Ahmad Mohammad Tayeb, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Makkah region, and Dr. Ihsan Bin Saleh Tayeb of the International Islamic Relief Organization. Officials of international and regional institutions based in Jeddah, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Islamic Development Bank, Arab Organization of Tourism, in addition to representatives of consular corps in Jeddah attended the ceremony, which began with African Union and Saudi national anthems. Delivering his welcome speech, the Dean of the African Group of Consuls General, Algerian Consul General Saleh Atteyah, emphasized the importance of this year's African Day, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Organization of the African Union (OAU).
Atteyah said Africa is now on the path to achieving real development and the fulfillment of African aspirations through the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), a plan that seeks to revive the continent's economy. “Thanks to this initiative, the developed world, particularly the Group of Eight most developed countries, has become increasingly interested in our continent and considers it an important partner, interlocutor and a leading representative to discuss the state of the global economy,” Atteyah said. He stressed the importance of this year's theme — Pan-Africanism and African Renaissance — which reflects the goal of achieving African unity and economic integration. While highlighting the excellent Afro-Saudi relations, Atteyah took the opportunity to appeal to Saudi and Gulf businessmen to take advantage of partnership and investment opportunities in various fields in Africa. In his speech, Ambassador Tayeb spoke about the state of Afro-Saudi relations, which recently saw the financing of a number of projects through Saudi banks with the aim to boost the process of development on the continent. Later, Atteyah presented Dr. Ihsan Bin Saleh Tayeb a plaque in recognition of the efforts of the International Islamic Relief Organization through its charity activities and financing of humanitarian projects in Africa.
