VICE PRESIDENT STRATEGY
alongside our Green-Blue Connect initiative, which links water, energy, land and ocean priorities. This approach helps us identify investments that address several needs together, such as improving water security while restoring ecosystems or reducing the energy required to provide water services.
Our experience in Malawi shows how this can be translated into results for communities.
OPEC Fund- financed projects completed over the last eight years helped install more than 1.5 GW in renewable energy.
Through the Nkhata Bay Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project, which we co-financed with the African Development
Bank, access to drinking water in the project area increased from 37 percent of households to almost 92 percent. Water availability also improved from an average of 16 hours to 23.5 hours a day. That combination of wider access and more reliable service is the kind of lasting improvement we want our investments to deliver. Delivery requires financing and preparation. With the Green-Blue Connect Accelerator we are supporting work that helps turn promising approaches into practical projects. Our wider financing operations provide the means to support investment at scale. We need to track progress from project preparation through approvals and implementation to improvements in services and resilience. OFQ: Many countries have clear climate priorities but struggle to secure financing. How do the OPEC Fund’s partnerships help close that gap, particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS)? MA: Any priority identified in a national plan needs considerable work before it can attract financing. Countries may need support to assess options, prepare feasibility studies, establish implementation arrangements and identify suitable financing partners. Smaller administrations can face particular capacity constraints. Our Island Resilience Facility addresses this early-stage project preparation gap. Working with regional partners and in collaboration with the UN climate
For the OPEC Fund, the starting point is a country’s development needs and energy circumstances. We can support investments that expand access and improve reliability while helping countries pursue their transition objectives. Assessing climate risks at the design stage helps ensure that these investments remain effective throughout their operating lives. OFQ: The OPEC Fund is currently reviewing its Climate Action Plan. What has been learned so far and what should guide the remaining period to 2030? MA: Since the adoption of our Climate Action Plan in 2022, we have strengthened the role of climate considerations in our operations and increased our climate finance. The current review is an opportunity to assess what has worked, where implementation remains difficult and how we can make the greatest contribution over the period to 2030. One lesson is that targets need to be supported by practical tools and implementation capacity. Our Climate Impact Operationalization Framework brings together climate risk screening, Paris Agreement alignment and climate finance accounting. It provides a more systematic basis for translating the plan into project decisions. We are also consulting colleagues who structure and implement operations to understand where opportunities are being captured and where additional
support is needed. The review will help inform where we will go in the next three years.
Ultimately, we want stronger projects and clearer evidence of the benefits our financing delivers. The 2025 results reported in our latest Development Effectiveness Report include more than 389,000 households gaining new or improved access to water and sanitation services, and more than 305,000 households gaining new or improved electricity connections or access to other improved energy sources through projects we supported. OPEC Fund- financed projects completed over the last eight years helped install more than 1.5 GW of renewable energy, with many more under construction. Our climate work should strengthen the resilience and long-term value of those services. OFQ: The OPEC Fund pledged an additional US$1 billion at the Water Forward event in April. Why has water become a strategic priority, and how are you translating that commitment into delivery? MA: Water connects many of our core development priorities. Reliable water services support health, agriculture, education, industry and jobs. Droughts and floods can disrupt several parts of an economy at once, making water a particularly important area for investment in resilience. Our additional US$1 billion pledge reflects that importance. It comes
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