Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi International Development

International Development

As early as 1997, Sheikh Al-Amoudi was honoured by the World Bank and State Department for his work in support of African development. The Sheikh has been a powerful advocate at the highest levels for indigenous capitalism and its ability to transform the emerging world in association with supportive Governments.

The investment by Saudi Star in large-scale agricultural production in Ethiopia is widely seen as an imaginative test case in bringing substantial private capital into play in order to build a successful export agricultural sector for a country that has hitherto been a net importer. The aim is to provide jobs and increased production as well as better infrastructure so that, eventually, Ethiopia will not only be self-sufficient in food but an exporter for valuable foreign exchange.

The Sheikh seeks wherever possible to avoid political controversy. He is a businessman first and foremost. However, he is also an advocate of modernisation, one who affirms that social, political and economic rights are intimately linked to development and that his first duty, as a global entrepreneur, is to help create the conditions for a sustainable liberal democracy, based on the rule of law, through active investment in the economic infrastructure of his homeland and in Africa.

The strategy of the Sheikh has been directed towards demonstrating that private capital can be used systematically to help build a national economy. In his view, his country comes first and foremost and he has unashamedly used his important high level connections in Saudi Arabia, technology transfer from Europe through Sweden and his high credit rating as a successful businessman to help create the infrastructure for further Ethiopian national development.

In recent years, this has involved a similar commitment to Djibouti where he has been investing substantial amounts of capital in developing the port facilities in this small but strategically important country that links the markets of North East Africa with those of Arabia. The port is the main contributor to the economy of the country and its development is essential to improving the living conditions of its 864,000 (2009) inhabitants.