THE OPEC FUND IN THE WORLD
The OPEC Fund at the World Governments Summit
Vice President Sherlala discusses AI, emerging markets and debt burdens
Dubai, UAE, February 3-5, 2026
V ice President, Finance Tarek Sherlala represented the OPEC Fund at the 2026 World Governments Summit in Dubai in January and held bilateral meetings, spoke at panels and engaged with business partners. “Events like this are great opportunities to listen, to speak, but most of all to learn from each other. It is very encouraging to see members and partners of the OPEC Fund united in the commitment to progress development,” he said. The Arab Fiscal Forum gathered finance ministers from the region and development finance institutions like the OPEC Fund. In her opening remarks, the Managing Director of the International
Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, encouraged countries to uphold fiscal discipline and applauded efforts to learn from experiences within their peer groups. Another highlight was the panel on “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Enhancing Countries’ Preparedness.” The event provided “deep insights, inspirational thoughts but also practical uses of AI,” Vice President Sherlala said, which will be particularly important for the OPEC Fund as it prepares to roll out its own digital strategy. During the “Emerging Markets Forum” on the final day of the event, the President of Botswana, Duma Boko,
pointed out that African nations were still being penalized in international capital markets despite their strong debt management performance. A recent data release by the major MDBs confirmed this. In his intervention, Vice President Sherlala urged development banks “to strengthen their efforts to inform commercial banks and private donors about the quality of this asset class.” A bilateral meeting with the First Lady of Ecuador, Lavinia Valbonesi, provided an opportunity for an update on the OPEC Fund’s strategy. Vice President Sherlala underlined that the OPEC Fund “would be delighted to welcome young leaders from Ecuador in our Young Professional Development Program.” With more than 35 heads of state, 160 governments, 500 ministers and over 6,000 attendees, the 2026 World Governments Summit set new records. Taking stock, Vice President Sherlala said: “What impressed me most was the forward-looking approach to embrace rather than to fear the future.”
“What impressed me most was the forward-looking approach to embrace the future.”
Tarek Sherlala, Vice President, Finance, OPEC Fund
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