Prince Alwaleed Receives Malian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia

HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud, Chairman of Kingdom Holding Company, received at his office, HE Mohamed Mahmoud Ben Labat, Ambassador of Mali to Saudi Arabia. The meeting was attended by Dr. Nahla Nasser Alanbar, Private Executive Assistant to HRH the Chairman.

The meeting began as the Ambassador thanked the Prince for giving him the opportunity to meet with him. During the meeting, Prince Alwaleed and Mr. Labat discussed social and economic issues. The two also discussed the exploration of future investment opportunities in Mali, especially in the hospitality sector and the Prince’s philanthropic contributions to the country. The Ambassador also conveyed an invitation to His Highness to re-visit Mali. In response, the Prince thanked the Ambassador and promised to visit in the near future.

In 2011, Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation- Global (Registered in Lebanon) that is chaired by Prince Alwaleed donated $750,000 to support KickStart's Money Maker water pump which enables farmers to increase their crop yield and improve their lives. In 2007, the Alwaleed Foundation donated $500,000 to The South Africa - Mali Project: The Timbuktu Manuscripts, an initiative by the South African President, towards building the Ahmad Baba Institute which amasses, preserves, and houses rare manuscripts.

Moreover, Prince Alwaleed met with the President of Mali during an official visit to Mali in 2006. The Prince met the first lady and inaugurated the new headquarters of the “Fondation pour l'Enfance”, during a plaque unveiling ceremony for the cornerstone laying of the construction which was financed by HRH’s $800,000 donation in 2005. In the same year, the Prince was also awarded the medal with the rank of "The Commander of the National Order" by the President of Mali. A previous $250,000 donation was also given to the foundation in 2004 to provide food and medicines for 3000 people.

Furthermore, during the visit Prince Alwaleed was named an “Honorary Citizen of the City of Bamako” and was presented with the Honorary Key to the City in an official ceremony attended by the dignitaries and high ranking officials as well as the good people of Mali.