Five Million US dollars Contribution from Emir of Qatar to the BA Endowment Fund
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Alexandria—
Dr. Khaled Azab, Director of the BA Media Department, received from HE Ambassador Mohamed bin Hamad Al-Khailfa, Ambassador of Qatar to Egypt and Qatar Permanent Delegate at the Arab League, US$ 5 million cheque as a contribution to the BA endowment from Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar to support the BA cultural and scientific activities in the different branches of knowledge so the BA remains a beacon for science and arts, and a channel for intercommunication between cultures and civilizations.
Dr. Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library of Alexandria, stated that an agreement was signed with Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development to dedicate the interest of the endowment to young Egyptian post-doctoral fellowships/awards; digitization, presentation, and management of heritage; and cyber library. He added that the endowment is only a beginning for further cooperation and partnership with Qatar Foundation. The BA will hold a special ceremony to celebrate lifting the curtain off the endowment commemorative plaque.
Since its inauguration, the BA allocated an endowment fund to support its activities, in which the Egyptian Government deposited US$ 18 million. The contribution of the Emir of Qatar is the first Arab contribution to the BA endowment fund. The BA is pursuing additional fundraising opportunities to cover the increasing expenses of its activities. The BA Board of Trustees recommended allocating most of the interests of the endowment to the maintenance of the BA building.