Dr. Walid Mehalaine is Head Innovative Financing Solutions Unit at the OPEC Fund for International Development, with over 25 years of experience working in international development cooperation and finance. Before moving to his current position, Dr. Mehalaine worked for over 8 years at the Africa Region Division of the OPEC Fund Public Sector Operations Department (Public Sector Lending) covering a large array of sector projects in various African countries. Prior to joining the Fund, Dr. Mehalaine worked for five years as Policy Advisor at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and from 1999 to 2002 held various positions in the areas of Trade Finance and Public Sector Lending at the Islamic Development Bank. He has a Doctorate in Economics, with a specialization in Development and Trade issues, from the University of Grenoble (FRANCE).