LONDON: The Saudi Fund for Development on Saturday participated in laying the foundation stone for the Abobo University Hospital project in Ivory Coast’s economic capital, Abidjan. As SFD contributes with development loans worth over $22.72 million in the Ivorian capital, the Abobo University Hospital project is one of the newest, and provides 600 beds over an 18,000-hectare land, the authority said in a statement issued by the Saudi Press Agency on Saturday, It also includes centers for pediatrics, dialysis and other medical wards and departments. The ceremony to lay the foundation stone was held under the patronage of Ivory Coast’s Prime Minister Patrick Achi, and in the presence of the country’s Foreign Minister and Abobo’s mayor Kandia Camara, Health Minister Pierre Demba, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Ivory Coast Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Subaie, and other senior officials. Presiding over SFD’s delegation to Abidjan, Yasser Al-Otaibi thanked Achi and Ivorian officials for their warm welcome and invite to the ceremony. “This is a vital project to develop the health sector,” said Al-Otaibi. The project aims to support and increase the operational capacity of health facilities and improve the level of basic health services in Abidjan, which is the largest city in terms of population. Meanwhile, the Ivorian prime minister lauded the Kingdom’s efforts in supporting the development sectors in his country. He also praised the work and development activities carried out by SFD, noting that the Abobo University Hospital project is one of the most comprehensive projects in medical specialties to be built and equipped as an integrated hospital.