WB to finance various projects

Kabul: The World Bank (WB) will finance the construction of roads in rural areas, programmes aimed at improving the education system, capacity-building projects and microfinance schemes. The $192 million contract for the projects was inked between Pawal Edwin Susk, the acting head of World Bank, and Finance Minister Anwarul Haq Ahadi in Kabul on Monday.

The minister said the grant would be spent through the ministries of finance, public works, rural rehabilitation and development, education and labour and social affairs.

An amount of $112 million will be expended on the construction of roads, 30 million on improving education, 20 million on capacity-building and 30 million on small loans, according to Ahady. The road projects, each with a three years timeline, will link districts to remote villages and provincial capitals.

On the occasion, Susk said the road construction plans were a continuation of the projects launched in 2002 with financial support from the World Bank. More than 9000-kilometre roads have been built with the support of the World Bank over the last six years. During the next three years, he revealed, 1,075 kilometres roads would be constructed in rural areas.

Education-sector schemes included construction of schools, training of teachers and headmasters, the World Bank official explained, saying 20 million dollars would be spent on capacity-building by the labor and social affairs ministry.