British manufacturer Alexander Dennis Ltd. (ADL) with its local dealer partner Manahil International introduced its latest double-deck model to local stakeholders in transport organizations, infrastructure developers and other specialists on Sunday.
Mohammed Shoukat, British consul general in Jeddah, said it is always nice to present new partnerships between the two kingdoms and launch new products.
In March, ADL signed partnership with Manahil International to introduce an advanced mode of public transportation in Jeddah and the rest of the Kingdom with Midi bus and today it is launching its double-deck bus.
“We are going through the phase of change in Saudi Arabia; public transportation is coming to forefront of the infrastructure projects in Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh and Jeddah. And recently in Dammam we launched the product,” he said.
ADL has already made its mark by taking center stage at the recent MENA Transport Congress and Exhibition in Dubai.
“Double-deck is the bus I would like to see on the roads of Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah and other cities,” he said.
Gustavo Marqueta Siibert, business development director of Alexander Dennis, told Arab News that the company was happy to launch double-deck buses in the Saudi market; the experience of launching midi bus on the streets of Makkah and Jeddah was excellent.
Nearly all of the 600 buses featured in these new contracts have been ADL Enviro500 double-deck models. They have up to 89 seats and can carry up to 139 passengers.
Abdul Wahab Itani, SVP at Manahil, said the company’s partnership with ADL was an excellent move for the Saudi public transportation solution as ADL specialized in city transport. ADL buses are famous for its manouverability and superb fuel consumption.
Robert Davey, ADL’s international business development director, said double-deck is highly maneuverable and "wins back space" in congested cities.
ADL aims to take Saudi transport to new heights
ADL aims to take Saudi transport to new heights
Kuwait Fund for Development: Six decades of humanitarian and developmental impact across globe
On Dec. 31, the Kuwait Fund for Development marks the anniversary of its establishment, opening a new chapter of success and ambition as one of the most prominent pioneers of development on both regional and global levels. Founded in 1961, the fund became the first and oldest development institution to operate in Arab countries and other developing nations.
Today, after more than six decades of continuous work, the Kuwait Fund for Development remains steadfast in its mission and has never ceased its efforts to support development causes in developing countries. As it celebrates its 64th anniversary, the fund has drawn a national portrait under the theme “Partners in Development,” reflected through its projects spread across the globe, all of which aim to build brighter and more sustainable future.
An external development arm
The establishment of the Kuwait Fund for Development embodied a wise and visionary decision by the leadership of Kuwait at the time. Kuwait was the only developing country that chose to share the challenges of development with other developing nations, cooperating with them through the provision of concessional loans, grants, financial assistance, and technical support tailored to their development priorities.
Since its inception, the Kuwait Fund for Development has served as Kuwait’s external development arm, sparing no effort in supporting development causes and extending assistance to developing countries worldwide.
Vision and early beginnings
In the early 1960s, the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, then head of the financial department, proposed the idea of establishing a development entity that would serve Kuwait’s foreign policy and assist Arab and other developing countries in achieving development across various sectors. The idea received strong support from the late Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, as it aligned with Kuwait’s vision at the time to build a modern state.
Consequently, an Amiri decree was issued on Dec. 31, 1961, establishing the Kuwait Fund for Development with an initial capital of 50 million Kuwaiti dinars ($162.6 million).
Global reach and development impact
The fund’s activities have extended to all corners of the world, contributing to the financing of projects in 106 countries, including 16 Arab countries, 41 African countries, 19 in East and South Asia and the Pacific, 17 in Central Asia and Europe, and 12 in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This support was delivered through 1,037 concessional loans provided to the governments of these countries, with a total value of approximately 7 billion Kuwaiti dinars. In addition, the fund has provided grants and technical assistance to support a wide range of development services, helping beneficiary countries implement their development programs. A total of 420 grants and technical assistance operations were extended, amounting to approximately 401 million Kuwaiti dinars.
Loan agreements
During the past year, the Kuwait Fund for Development signed several loan agreements supporting development across different regions of the world. Among these were two loan agreements with the government of Bahrain. The first loan, valued at 31.25 million Kuwaiti dinars, contributed to financing the Electricity Transmission Networks Development Project. The second loan, valued at 10 million Kuwaiti dinars, supported the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Highway Development Project (Phase II).
On the sidelines of the World Bank Group meetings held in Washington, D.C., the fund has also signed a 4 million Kuwaiti dinar-worth loan agreement with Saint Lucia to help finance the Sir Julian R. Hunte Highway Project, as well as another 4 million Kuwaiti dinar-worth loan agreement with Belize to support the George Price Highway Project.
Supporting and assisting refugees
The Kuwait Fund for Development’s contributions to humanitarian action stand out at both regional and international levels. Since its establishment, the fund has represented a unique model in supporting and assisting refugees in countries affected by disasters, conflicts, and wars, in line with Kuwait’s moderate and balanced policy.
These efforts have helped strengthen Kuwait’s relations with Arab and international partners. The fund has played a significant role in the reconstruction of Lebanon and Iraq following periods of crisis, and its assistance to the Palestinian people has never ceased.
International Participation
Over the past year, the Kuwait Fund for Development recorded notable participations in major international forums. These included taking part in the 2025 annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C., with a delegation headed by the fund’s Acting Director General Walid Shamlan Al-Bahar. The fund also took part in the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, held in Tokyo, Japan.
Additional international engagements included participation in the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, held in Awaza, Turkmenistan, and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, organized by the UN in Seville, Spain.
