The Abdlatif Y. Al-Hamad Development Award in the Arab World
Receiving Applications
The Technical Secretariat of “The Abdlatif Y. Al-Hamad Development Award in the Arab World” has received project submissions from several institutions within the Arab Coordination Group and is currently studying these projects to ensure they meet the specified criteria for the award before presenting them to the Judging Committee at the end of December.
- Brief Bio of Mr. Abdlatif Y. Al-Hamad
- Award Features
- Requirements & Selection Criteria
- Applying for the Award
- The Winning Projects
- Timetable
Brief Biography of Mr. Abdlatif Y. Al-Hamad
Over the past six decades, Mr. Al-Hamad has acquired extensive experience and a rich diverse background through operating in the public domain, with particular emphasis on development activities. This was achieved through his leadership of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development during the period 1963 – 1982, his tenure as the Minister of Finance and Planning, in Kuwait, during the period 1981 – 1983 and his role as the Director General/Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Fund during the period 1985 – 2020.
The development projects that Mr. Al-Hamad oversaw, both at the Kuwait Fund and the Arab Fund, significantly contributed to raising the standard of living for millions of individuals in the Arab World, as they included large scale projects in the infrastructure, water and electricity networks, energy, land ports, communications, agriculture, irrigation, rural development, industry and mining sectors, as well as other sectors.
Mr. Al-Hamad is considered to have his own school of thought, which is not limiting financing to projects and building structures, but extending it to include human development through policies and programs to support and encourage Arab pioneers and entrepreneurs in various fields, including research, cultural and technical fields, given that they represent the ultimate goal and the main means for development.
Several Kings, Heads of States, and heads of institutions, in the Arab World, have bestowed upon Mr. Al-Hamad their highest awards and medals of distinction. He has also been awarded honorary Ph.D. degrees from regional and international educational organizations, and several regional development organizations have been named in his honor.
Amongst Mr. Al-Hamad’s long list of achievements, is his supervision of the construction of the Arab Organizations’ HQ building. He collected several paintings and objects from Arab artists and artisans, along with rare and ancient artifacts which hold significant historic value, and displayed them throughout the building creating an important cultural and artistic landmark.
The Abdlatif Y. Al-Hamad Development Award in the Arab World
The Award is given to the best economic and social development project in the Arab world, either partially or fully funded by a member of the Arab Coordination Group, while giving priority to joint Arab projects.
The Arab Fund’s Vision with respect to the Award
To promote, distinguish and highlight successful development projects that have either led to solving existing problems, or contributed to enhancing the economic and social capacities in the Arab World, while also bringing awareness to such projects, in order to make them an inspiration to promote creativity, better management, more efficient construction and maximization of expected benefits of projects.
The Award aims at:
- Highlighting the importance of Arab Development Projects, in particular joint ones.
- Enhancing the quality of the selection, evaluation, and execution of development projects in the Arab World.
- Encouraging Arab and international investment in development projects, whether they are economic or social.
- Spreading the experience gained from successful development projects among individuals, Arab authorities, and Arab institutions working in the field of economic and social development.
Components of the Award
- An honorary certificate that includes the name of the Award and the name of the winning project.
- A US$ 100,000 monetary reward. If two projects are declared as winners, the award is to be split evenly between them.
- A plaque bearing the name and logo of the award.
To find out why the award was named after Mr. Abdellatif Yousef Al-Hamad, and further details about it, please see the next video:
The Award will be given to the best development project in the Arab World, associated with members of the Arab Coordination Group, and in accordance with the following requirements:
- That the project has been completed.
- That the project entered operations during the past 6 years.
- That the cost of the project should be at least $ 50 Million, for public sector projects.
- That the cost of the project should be at least $ 20 Million, for private sector projects.
- That the cost of the project should be at least $ 1 Million, for projects of a creative nature.
- That the nomination documents include recent photographs of the project (taken less than 3 months from the application deadline).
- That the project meets half the eligibility requirements listed under "Project Impact".
The following criteria will be applied to trade among the projects nominated for the prize:
a- Pre-construction Services (20%)
- Technical, Financial and Administrative Study, along with project evaluation and the project selection criteria.
- Expected budget for project execution.
- Project execution phases and its time schedule.
b- Project Delivery (25%)
- Quality of project execution.
- Adherence to designs and in line with specifications.
- Within the projected budget that was estimated before execution.
- In accordance with the set time schedule.
- Project operation and management, and the application of proper governance.
c- Project Impact (40%)
- Creation of job opportunities.
- Positive effect on Gross Domestic Product.
- Achievement of expected economic and social returns.
- Decrease in imports/increase in exports.
- Contributed to solving an existing problem.
- Its benefits impacted more than one Arab country.
- Produced unexpected benefits.
- Utilize local raw materials.
d- Other Criteria (15%)
- Environmentally friendly (e.g., use of clean energy).
- Achieved one or more of the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Utilized modern technology.
- Received merit awards.
Applying for the Award
Timetable
The process from receiving and evaluating submissions to selecting and awarding the winning project
Mid of June - Mid of November
Sending project nominations by the institutions of the Arab Coordination Group
Read MoreNov 09, 2017Mid of November – December
Review of nominated projects and completing of missing information, by the Awards Technical Committee
Read MoreNov 09, 2017Starting January Until The Beginning of March
Project Evaluation by Award Judging Committee
Read MoreNov 09, 2017During the Joint Annual Meeting of Arab Financial Institutions and Council of Arab Finance Ministers
Honoring the Winning ProjectRead MoreNov 09, 2017Frequency of the Award and its Announcement
- The award will be given each year during the Annual meetings of the Arab Fund Governors.
- The announcement of the winning project will be made through the proper channels.
Selecting the Winning Projects
- An independent committee (called the Award Judging Committee) will review the nominated applications and select the winning project. The committee is composed of three independent members, from outside the Arab Fund, selected by the Director General/Chairman of the Board of the Directors of the Arab Fund, along with a Technical Secretariat chosen from among the Arab Fund’s staff.
- A Technical Secretariat, chosen from the Arab Fund also, coordinates the activities of the award.
The Winning Projects
Bahr El-Baqar Wastewater Treatment Plant
2023
Bahr El-Baqar Wastewater Treatment Plant, a project in the Arab Republic of Egypt, submitted by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, was selected as the winning project in 2023.
The announcement of the winning project took place during the Joint Annual Meetings of Arab Financial Institutions and Council of Arab Finance Ministers, held in the Arab Republic of Egypt on Wednesday, 22 May 2024.
The celebration program included: a video presentation about the award and another video about the winning project, a speech by H.E. the Director-General/Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Fund, a speech by H.E the Director-General of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the institution that contributed to the financing of the project and nominated it for the award, and then a statement by the project’s implementers.
The trophies and the certificates of appreciation were then distributed to the company that executed the project, the project consultant “Khatib & Alami”, in addition to the project’s contractors “Orascom” and “ Al Mokawloon Al Arab”.
The Award Judging Committee determined that Bahr El-Baqar Wastewater Treatment Plant was the best among the nominees based on the approved criteria, which include:
- The project’s scale and its role in transforming polluted water, through a massive treatment plant, into water suitable for irrigating more than 330,000 acres.
- The creation of over 40,000 direct and indirect job opportunities.
- The reduction of the displacement of Sinai residents to the canal cities.
South Helwan Power Generating Project
2022
The Arab Fund selected the South Helwan Power Generating Project, in the Arab Republic of Egypt, as the winner of the Abdlatif Y. Al-Hamad Development Award in the Arab world for the year 2022. The announcement was made during Annual Meetings of the Board of Governors of the Arab Funds that was held in Rabat, the Kingdom of Morocco, on Saturday April 29th, 2023.
The Award ceremony included showing a video describing the nature of the Award, a video about the winning project, along with a speech by the Director General / Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Fund, a speech by the Director General of the OPEC Fund for International Development, the institution that nominated the project, a speech by the Chairman of the Board of the Upper Egypt Generating Company, the company that executed the project, along with a speech by the Chairman of the Board of (PGESCO), the consulting firm that prepared the tender documents for the project and oversaw its execution.
It is to be noted that six Arab Funds sent nominations for twelve projects, and that an independent, and highly respected, panel composed of three distinguished members having extensive knowledge in development selected the South Helwan Power generating Project for winning the 2022 version of the Award.
The winning project was selected based on several attributes, most notably the size of the project (1.95 GW), the fact that 7 financial institutions and banks contributed towards its cost (around $1.5 Billion), the project created over 4,500 job opportunities, that it covers around 7% of the overall demand for electric energy on the Egyptian network, and that it was completed on time and came in at 45% below budget.
To watch a video explaining why the name of Mr. Al Hamad was given to the award, and to know more details about it, watch the below video.
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